The Outsider
by SheElf2
Summary: When the gang finds an injured girl in the lot they decide to take her in. Little do they know of the adventure in store for them.
1. Default Chapter

This is my second fanfiction and it is for the book The Outsiders. All of the characters except for Thalia (aka Tia) belong to S.E. Hinton (the author).  
  
I am going to put the rating as PG-13 just to be safe because I am not too sure how strict they are here.  
  
This story takes place in the same time as the novel except Johnny and Dally are still going to be alive because they were my favorite characters LOL. Anyways, I hope you like it!  
  
Sincerely, SheElf  
  
P.S. Please read and review, thanks! 


	2. Black Widow and Switch Blades

The gang was lounging in the Curtis house hold. Well, almost all of the gang, Johnny wasn't there but he was sure to turn up adventually. They were watching tv and all jumped when Johnny flew through the door.  
  
"You guys better come see this." Johnny said, trying to regain his breath.  
  
The guys shot up and followed him out the door. Johnny usually didn't say much so it must be important. They followed him as he walked towards the lot. He stopped, they caught up with him and looked at what he was staring at.  
  
It looked like a teenager asleep, curled up. It was dark but they realized it was a girl because she had long straight brown hair.  
  
"Is she asleep?" Soda asked, peering over Darry's shoulder.  
  
"Nope, passed out cold." Johnny said "I tried to wake her up, when it didn't work I came and got you guys."  
  
"How old d'you think she is?" Steve asked looking at the girl.  
  
"I dunno, 15 or 16 probably." Soda said shrugging. "We can't just leave her here, its getting late and Tim's gang will be around here."  
  
Darry nodded and easily picked up the girl who was limp in his arms. They slowly walked back to their house. Once inside, he set her down on the couch.  
  
"You any of you recognize her." Darry asked looking at the guys.  
  
They all shook thier heads. She certainly didn't look like a Soc. She wasn't pretty but she wasn't ugly either. She was dressed more like a greasey girl then a Soc. She had on torn up jeans, a black tank top and a brown leather jacket.  
  
She must have been laying out there for a while because her jacket and jeans were soaked from dew. Darry took off her leather jacket and Soda went to get a blanket for her.  
  
She way laying on her side when they noticed two things about her. She had a black widow spider tattooed on her arm and she had two switch blades sticking out of her back pocket. Two-Bit slide the blades from her pocket and looked them over.  
  
They were gorgeous. The blades were polished and so were the handles but you could still keep a good grip on them. They had silver markings on the handle's too, they looked kind of like vines or something. Two-Bit get them down on the kitchen table.  
  
Soda covered her up with a blanket. The gang stayed the night because they were all curious about the outsider asleep on the couch. Pony, Soda and Darry slept in their rooms but the rest of the gang just slept in chairs or on the floor.  
  
The next morning Dally and Steve woke up when they heard a loud thump. The girl had rolled off the couch and landed on the floor. They both watched at the girl rubbed her eyes, pushed back her hair and looked around... 


	3. Hostile

She looked slowly around the room. She spotted a grinning Dally starring back at her and she tried to stand up. Her legs were still shaky and she fell back down on to the couch. Everyone else was starting to wake up too. Pony and Soda soon came out of their room.  
  
"Morning." Soda said brightly and headed straight to the kitchen without looking at them.  
  
Dally saw the girl quickly reach for the blades in her back pockets and panicked when she saw they were not there.  
  
"Hey Soda, look who's up." Two-Bit said as he stretched.  
  
Soda turned around to see a terrified girl staring back at him from the couch. Before he could say anything the girl spoke up.  
  
"If you did anything to me last night you are gonna be sorry." she said.  
  
"Don't worry baby." Dally said winking at her. "We didn't do nothing."  
  
She gave Dally the finger, grabbed her jacket from the chair behind her and tried to make a run for the door. She quickly turned the corner out of the living room and ran smack into Darry. She almost fell but Darry caught her.  
  
"Get your hands off of me." she said angrily trying to push him away.  
  
"Calm down we aren't gonna hurt you." Darry said but she just struggled more. "A little help here Dally."  
  
The two of them managed to restrain her and calm her down. She sat glaring at them from the couch. The rest of the gang lounged around in the living room but kept their distance from her, they could tell she was scared of them.  
  
"For starters what is you name?" Darry asked.  
  
"Go to hell." she said glaring at him.  
  
Two-Bit, Dally, Steve and Soda laughed but Darry's face didn't move.  
  
"That wasn't very lady like." Darry said.  
  
"Screw you." she said, looking him right in the eye.  
  
Pony Boy watched her in awe. Most guys were terrified of Darry since he was so big but she was looking him right in the eye and telling him off.  
  
"I'm not saying anything till I get a smoke." she said.  
  
Two-Bit handed her a cigarette and a lighter. She lit it, took a long puff, sighed and closed her eyes for a second.  
  
"So, what's your name?" Darry asked again.  
  
"Thalia, Tia, T-Bird, whatever you wanna call me." she said shrugging.  
  
"Where are you from?" Darry asked.  
  
"Dallas, Texas." Tia said.  
  
"You don't have an accent and your a long way from home." Darry remarked.  
  
"I was born in L.A. and moved to Dallas when I was two. I hitch hiked here." she said taking another puff.  
  
"What were you doing passed out in the lot?" Darry asked.  
  
"I wasn't passed out." she said angrily "I hadn't slept for three days, I was tired and needed some sleep."  
  
"Why did you come here?" Darry asked.  
  
"My dad died last week from cancer and they wanted to put me in a foster home but I ran away instead." Tia said. "Who are you guys anyways?"  
  
"Im Darry and these are my brothers, Soda Pop and Pony Boy." Darry said pointing out his brothers. "These are our buddies: Dally, Johnny, Two-Bit, and Steve."  
  
Tia nodded in acknowledgement.  
  
"Well this was all fun but I think I am gonna roll out." Tia said standing up but put her hands on the arm of the couch to steady herself.  
  
"Come on, you are in no shape you go walking the streets. Stay here for a bit." Darry said.  
  
"Sorry but I don't trust you guys." Tia said. "You look like a bunch of Hoods."  
  
"We aren't Hoods, we are Greaser." Steve said laughing. "Plus you can trust us, well most of us, just not Dally."  
  
Steve jerked a thumb towards the grinning blonde.  
  
"Fine." Tia said "But I want my blades."  
  
Two-Bit got them and tossed them to her. She flicked them open just to make sure they were okay, closed them, and stuck them back in her pockets.  
  
"You hungry?" Soda asked to break the uncomfortable silence.  
  
"Starved." Tia said. 


	4. Poker Anyone?

Soda and Darry went into the kitchen and came back with a chocolate cake and some chocolate milk. Soda handed Tia a piece which she soon devoured.  
  
"You guys sure know how to eat." Tia said licking her fingers clean.  
  
She ate two more pieces after that and had many glasses of chocolate milk to wash it down. Darry looked at his watch and cursed.  
  
"Pony, hurry up, you are gonna be late for school." Darry said and Pony grabbed his jacket before he flew out the door.  
  
"I gotta head off to work." Darry said "So do Soda and Steve but please just stay here, we can talk once I get home. Feel free to raid the kitchen if you get hungry again and if you wanna have a shower the bathroom is just down the hall."  
  
Tia nodded and mumbled a thankyou. Darry grabbed his jacket and was about to head out the door but stopped for a second.  
  
"If any of them give you any trouble, feel free to use your blades." Darry said smiling jokingly.  
  
Tia nodded and smiled. After Darry left, Tia stood up and stretched. Two-Bit was surprised to see how tall she was. He was guessing around 5'7 maybe 5'8 which was quite tall for a girl.  
  
"How old are you anyways?" Two-Bit asked.  
  
"Thirteen and a half." Tia said "I'm going to have a shower, if either of you go near the bathroom I will skin you."  
  
"Don't worry, we will be hear waiting for you." Dally said smiling.  
  
"Thirteen?" Two-Bit said once the bathroom door was closed.  
  
"She looks older." Dally said shrugging.  
  
Tia came back after about twenty minutes. Two-Bit noticed she was kind of cute when she got all of that dirt off of her.  
  
"So what do you boys do for fun around here?" Tia asked rubbing her hair with a towel.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Soda and Steve heared voices as they approached the house. They thought for a minute someone was fighting but when they opened the door it was laughter they heard.  
  
They came in to find Tia, Dally and Two-Bit sitting on the floor playing poker and laughing hysterically.  
  
"Tia is a lot of fun once you get her loosened up." Dally said looking up at them smiling.  
  
"We tried to get her to play stip poker but I am glad we didn't, cause she had taken almost all of my money." Two-Bit said pointing to a stack of coins and bills next to Tia.  
  
"Deal us in." Steve said sitting down.  
  
"Where did you get the money to play anyhow?" Soda asked Tia.  
  
"In Texas I did alot in the rodeo circuit, bronc riding and stuff." Tia said.  
  
"Really?" Dally said "You should try the rodeo's down here sometimes but they might be a little too rough for you."  
  
Tia gave him a playful shove and laughed.  
  
Pony and Johnny came in next but didn't join in, they just watched and joined in the conversation.  
  
Darry was the last one to come home and was happy to see Tia in better spirits. He didn't even recognize her at first. Her long hair was not brown, now that it was washed at dried, he could tell that it was actually strawberry blonde.  
  
He didn't join in their game either, he went to start supper. When they sat down to eat Tia spoke up.  
  
"Thanks for all of your help but I really should get going now that I am feeling better, I am just getting in the way and being a nuissance." Tia said staring at her plate.  
  
"Why don't you stay here for a while." Darry said "The boys like your company and you don't have anywhere's else to go."  
  
"If it okay with the rest of your brothers?" Tia asked looking up.  
  
"Of course!" Soda said smiling.  
  
Pony Boy nodded and smiled.  
  
"Well, okay but I am paying you for food and stuff, without question." Tia said looking Darry in the eye.  
  
After supper they sat around for a little bit.  
  
"Well me and Dally are heading out to Buck Meril's anyone wanna join us?" Two-Bit said standing up.  
  
Pony looked up hopefully but Darry shook his head.  
  
"How about you, Tia?" Dally asked grabbing his jacket.  
  
"Sure." Tia said shrugging.  
  
"I dunno-" Darry started but Dally cut him off.  
  
"Don't worry Darry, me and Two-Bit will keep a close eye on her." Dally said "Besides, she can take care of herself."  
  
Darry reluctantly nodded and watched as Tia and the boys left. Once outside Dally put him arm over Tia's shoulders.  
  
"Buck Meril will be able to set you up, get you into the next rodeo." Dally said.  
  
Tia nodded and carefully checked to make sure she had both of her blades on her. She didn't like the sound of Buck Meril but was just glad to be outside. 


	5. Buck's

They approached a run down, two story house and Dally pounded at the door. A guy answered the door who looked to be about Dally's age or a little bit older. He stood back to let them in. When Tia went to go in he put his arm out to block her way.  
  
"And what do we have here?" Buck asked. "Whats your name gorgeous?"  
  
"Keep dreaming'." Tia said glaring at him.  
  
"Lay off Buck, she's cool." Dally said turning around.  
  
He put his arm down and she followed Dally into what looked like a kitchen. Two-Bit was raiding the fridge and pulled out a couple cans of beer and Dally was sitting on the counter.  
  
"Who's she?" Buck asked, grabbing a can out of Two-Bits hand.  
  
Tia leaned on the counter next to Dally and shoved her hands in her jacket pockets. Two-Bit just shrugged and grabbed a couple more cans. He tossed one to Dally and tossed the other one to Tia. She caught it and was about to crack it open when Dally snatched it out of her hand.  
  
"Not tonight." Dally said giving the can back to Two-Bit. "Her name is Tia and she is staying with Darry and them for a while."  
  
"Oh c'mon Dal, I never knew you as being the protective type." Buck said laughing.  
  
"I ain't, Darry only let her come here cause he knew that you wouldn't be having a party on a Monday. He would skin her if he caught her around here on a Friday." Dally said coldy. "He would beat my head in if he knew I let her drink."  
  
"So, Tia, what's your story?" Buck asked, still looking her over.  
  
"I spent three years in the slammer for murdering my boyfriend. I am still on parole, so don't tell my parole officer I am packing two blades." Tia said, trying hard to keep her face straight. "Hey, buddy, eyes up here."  
  
Although the two Greasers knew that she was joking, Buck obviously believed her because he looked quite shocked. The look on his face made all three of them burst out laughing.  
  
"She is from Texas and we were wondering if you could get her into the next rodeo." Dally said once he stopped laughing.  
  
"Chick's don't ride in the rodeo's, if the guys territory down there, you know that Dallas." Buck said smirking.  
  
"Then let her ride with the boys, she can take 'em." Dally said impatiently. "She needs the money and she is a good rider."  
  
"Have you ever seen her ride?" Buck asked.  
  
"Well, no." Dally said.  
  
"Then how do you know she is?" Buck asked.  
  
"Cause she told me she is. I mean look at her, she moves like a cowboy." Dally said, jerking a thumb in Tia's direction.  
  
"Fine, I will get her in but if she gets her neck broken you can't blame it on me. Do you want her in under 15 or over?" Buck asked.  
  
"Over 15." Dally said, Tia looked up at him "You get more money when you win and plus you'll be riding with me."  
  
He winked at her and she just rolled her eyes.  
  
"Can't you try for a girl your own age?" Two-Bit asked Dally grinning.  
  
"Nope, I like 'em young and innocent." Dally said laughing.  
  
"How old is she, anyways?" Buck asked.  
  
"None of your buisness. Get me my money." Dally said hopping off the counter. "We are gonna get going. Darry doesn't want her out too late."  
  
Buck pulled a stack of bills out of his pocket and threw it to Dally. Two-Bit said it was for a bet Dally won but wouldn't say what the bet was. They left and Buck didn't even notice that Two-Bit had a few cans stashed in his jacket.  
  
"You coming to the party Friday?" Buck called from the house.  
  
"Wouldn't miss it!" Dally called back.  
  
When Tia looked at him he just shook his head.  
  
"Keep dreamin', its too rough for you around his parties." Dally said chuckling.  
  
"When's the rodeo?" Tia asked, knowing that she shouldn't push the subject.  
  
"Friday, before the rodeo." Two-Bit said pulling a can out of his jacket. 


	6. Shopping and Threats

Darry, Soda and Pony were still up when Tia and the guys got there. They didn't bother coming in, they just waved to Tia and agreed to come over tomorrow. Although Darry offered his room to Tia she insisted that she would be more comfortable sleeping on the couch.  
  
The next morning they had their usual breakfast (chocolate cake and chocolate milk). Pony headed off to school again and Darry, Soda and Steve headed off to work, leaving Tia alone with Dally, Two-Bit and Johnny.  
  
Once they finished up breakfast Tia stood up and went to get her jacket.  
  
"I am headed out to the stores, I need some more cloths." she said counting the money she had in her jacket pocket.  
  
"You need some company?" Two-Bit asked.  
  
"You don't look much like a shopper Matthews." Tia commented laughing.  
  
"I don't have anything else to do, Dally and Johnny will come too." Two-Bit said, Dally shrugged and Johnny nodded.  
  
"Okay, fine with me." Tia said and they headed out the door.  
  
They walked the three blocks to the store and joked and laughed with one another the entire way there. Once they got there, they went to one of the cheaper clothing stores.  
  
The guys watched in awe how Tia shopped. Most girls spend so much time looking at the cloths then slowly trying them on. All Tia did grab what she liked and move on. By the end of it she had three pairs on jeans (one for riding), some tank tops and some t-shirts.  
  
As they left the store Tia counted her money again. She still had $50, she could give $25 to Darry, Dally said that there would be a $5 fee for entering the rodeo and five for some smokes, that left her with $15. She would save that incase if the boys wanted to play poker again.  
  
They stopped at the store on the way back and Tia bought a couple packs of cigarettes. When they left it turns out she wasn't the only one who didn't leave empty handed. Dally pulled out a couple packs of cigarettes, two chocolate bars and three lighters from his jacket.  
  
They were heading to the dinner to have lunch when trouble started. They were joking around when a red car pulled up and five Socs got out.  
  
"Morning Dallas." A guy who looked to be about 17 said. "Heard about you beating up one of my buddies Saturday. Broke three of his ribs you know."  
  
"Only three?" Dally asked coldly.  
  
"Who's the chick?" the guy asked "I haven't seen her around."  
  
"Lay off Chris or I will break a few of your ribs and maybe a jaw to go with it." Dally said dangerously.  
  
"We will talk again Dallas." Chris said smirking and turned towards Tia "Now, how would you like to come with us gorgeous and we will show you some real action?"  
  
"Go to hell." Tia said and gave him the finger before turning away.  
  
Chris just laughed but left all the same. Even though the Greasers were out number, the Socs knew that Dally and Two-Bit were good fighters.  
  
"Tia, are you scared of anything?" Two-Bit asked. He was still in awe at how she handled the Socs. Most girls would just say nothing and get their guys to take care of them but then again, Tia wasn't like most girls.  
  
"Honestly?" Tia asked.  
  
Two-Bit nodded and waited for her response.  
  
"I can't stand the feeling of being physically restrained. That scares me, its makes me feel helpless." Tia said shrugging.  
  
"You make it sound like it happened before." Johnny commented.  
  
Tia just shrugged and lit up a smoke. The guys didn't push the subject, partially because they respected but also because she had two blades on her.  
  
They ate at the dinner and headed home. Pony was already home from school and Steve and Soda got home soon after that. They decided to play poker again while they waited for Darry to come home and because it was too early to start supper.  
  
Tia wasn't winning this time, Dally was.  
  
"Say Tia, I will give you back all your money if you answer one question for me." Dally said waving the money he won in her face.  
  
"What is it Winston?" Tia asked scowling at him.  
  
"What's with the tattoo on your arm?" Dally asked pointing to the spider on her arm.  
  
"Got it a few months ago. By last boyfriend, when we broke up, called me the black widow. He said it was because guys were scared of me and I was deadly. I wanted to get a tattoo anyways so I figure I would show him up." Tia explained and held out her hand "Pay up."  
  
Dally shrugged and handed over her money. Darry came home soon after that and they ordered a pizza for supper. Tia was feeling more and more comforable with the guys. They treated her like a sister and she liked it. 


	7. Jumped

Wednesday after school Pony Boy said he was going to see a movie and asked if anyone wanted to come with him. Tia offered to come with him, she had been in the house all morning and wanted to go out.  
  
"Sure." he said shrugging.  
  
If was nice outside so she didn't bother bringing her leather jacket. She was fine in jeans and a tank top. It wasn't that far to the movie theatre so they just walked and it was still light outside. They went to see the movie Winning, Paul Newman was in it, Pony was a huge fan of his. It was about a rising star on the racing circuit.  
  
After the movie they dug around in their pockets to find some coins to use the pay phone so they could phone for a ride. Pony tried his house first but his brothers were still at work. Next they tried Two-Bit but he wasn't home or he was passed out on the couch.  
  
They tried Buck Meril's to see if Dally around kicking around but Buck said that he had left an hour ago and didn't say where he was heading. It had clouded over and wind was bitting painfully at Tia's arms.  
  
"Come on, guess we are walking." Pony said shrugging.  
  
He found it cold too since he only had a t-shirt on. They walked quickly and didn't talk all that much. Tia was the first to notice something was wrong. She elbowed Pony and jerked a thumb behind her. He nodded and swallowed hard, Chris's car was following them.  
  
"Should we run?" Pony asked.  
  
"Its no use, they got a car." Tia said shaking her head.  
  
They turned around to face the car. It stopped and five guys climbed out. They were all Socs and they soon surrounded them. Tia kept her cool and glared at Chris.  
  
"Well, now that your here can I get a smoke off of you?" Tia asked shrugging.  
  
"I don't think so baby." Chris said. "What are you going hanging around with this greasy trash?"  
  
"The only trash here is what I am looking at." Tia said.  
  
"Grab her." Chris said to his boys.  
  
Two grabbed her while the other two grabbed Pony. Before they could get a hold of Tia she managed to get one her blades out. She slashed on of them on the arm he cursed in pain.  
  
"Pony!" she called.  
  
Pony in the mean time was being restled to the ground. She was going to throw him one of her blades but the Socs kept getting in the way. Chris had joined in the fight now. She had thrown a few good punchs and gotten a few slashes in but it was no use. They were big guys and she was out numbered. Pony was putting up a good fight but once they knocked him to the ground and landed a few good kicks he was worn out.  
  
One of them had his arm around her neck and she was gasping, trying to breath. Chris was doing his best to get the blade out of her hand. The ground was spinning, she knew she couldn't last much longer but she couldn't break, not now.  
  
The blade fell from her hand and landed with a thud on the ground. She used her free hands to try and get the arm off of her neck. The guy loosened his grip and she got a few breath in but he soon had his other arm around her waist and was pulling her towards the car.  
  
Tia fought, kicking, punch, even cursing, whatever she could do to make it harder for them. The guys started making their way towards the car. When one of them had their back turned Pony jumped on him, forcing him towards the ground.  
  
Tia took advantage of the chance, her captor was distracted so she reached for her other blade. Before he could stop her she had flipped the blade out and stuck it in his thigh.  
  
He cried out in pain and let go of her. She stumbled forward and tried to reach Pony who was still beating the tar out of the Soc. The rest of the guys joined in the fight again. Chris forced Tia to the ground. He got the knife out of her hand and landed a good punch to her face.  
  
Tia couldn't move, Chris had her arms behind her back and kicking wasn't doing any good. She thought she was finished but she heard the sounds of feet, running fast, comming towards them. Before she knew what happened Dally had body slammed Chris off of her while Darry, Soda, Steve and Two-Bit went to get the Socs off of Pony. Tia took advantage of her freedom to jump the last remaining Soc. She caught him by surprise and had him knocked down in a second.  
  
"I'll show you some action." Tia hissed at him landing a rain of punches on him.  
  
Only when the rest of the Socs started to run did she let him up. Chris looked the worst. His face was pretty bloody but then again, the rest of him was bloody too. Dally ran over to Tia to see if she was alright. She tried standing up and swayed for a second and Dally caught her.  
  
"Get your hands off of me Dally." Tia said, she saw the concerned look on his face. "Sorry, I am just kinda pissed at them."  
  
Dally nodded and they went to join the rest of the gang. Pony looked beat up pretty bad. He had a black eye and a split lip.  
  
"Well that was fun." Two-Bit said.  
  
Tia nodded and started looking around the fight scene for her blades. She found one of her blades on the ground and the other beside a trash can. She wiped the blood off in the grass and went back to join the group.  
  
They slowly headed back to the Curtis house.  
  
"What were you guys doing walking alone? You should have phoned one of us to pick you up." Darry said, helping a limping Pony.  
  
"We did, none of you were there." Pony said through clenched teeth.  
  
It turns out that Two-Bit had gone to get Dally in his car to meet the gang. Soda, Steve and Darry were heading home from work. When Pony and Tia didn't turn up they went looking for them.  
  
"Thanks." Tia said to the gang.  
  
"No problem, we Greasers gotta stick together." Soda said smiling.  
  
Greasers? Tia thought to herself, they don't think of me as a greasy girl, I am a Greaser. 


	8. Big Day Tomorrow

Once they got back they spent the rest of the evening cleaning up. They weren't beat up to bad, Pony and Tia were the worst. Tia's neck was bruised pretty bad and she had a hefty bruise on her cheek. Pony had a black eye and a split lip. Even though their injuries were minor, Darry still made a fuss over it.  
  
"What's it with you and Chris?" Tia asked Dally as the gang sat around and watched Tv.  
  
"We have been at each others throats for the last while." Dally said coldly "We have just never really gotten along. I beat up one of his friends last weekend."  
  
"Why'd you do that?" Tia asked.  
  
"My girl was two-timing me with hims buddy. He knew she was my girl but did it anyway." Dally said, staring blindly at the Tv.  
  
"Oh, sorry." Tia said, sorry she had brought up the subject.  
  
"Don't be." Dally said shrugging.  
  
The guys left soon after that. The next morning when Tia woke up she hurt all over but she didn't complain because she knew that Pony felt just as bad and he didn't say a word. Tia took it easy that day because the rodeo was tomorrow and she wanted to be rested up.  
  
That day Dally and Steve hung out with her around the house (Steve wasn't working that day). Dally told her all about the rodeos.  
  
"They take place a little ways out of town since it is kinda illegal, we don't want the fuzz coming and ruining out fun." Dally said smiling. "Buck is the one who mostly organizes it. I am not sure where he gets the horses from, he won't tell me but boy are they wild. They are as bad as steers so when you hit the ground you better get ready to run. If one of those broncs charges you, your dead."  
  
"How comforting." Tia commented.  
  
"You will be riding with the first group of 15+. They are the ones who have only been to the rodeos a few times or they just really suck." Dally explained.  
  
"When will you be riding?" Tia asked.  
  
"The second group. If the crowd likes you and you do good they will move you up to the second group." Dally said. "That's the trick, the crowd needs to love you. If they don't then you won't go no where."  
  
"I am guess the crowd likes you then?" Tia asked.  
  
"You kiddin'!" Steve exclaimed "They go wild over Dallas Winston. He is always the one pushing the bar and taking the chances."  
  
Dally shoved Steve off the couch who landing with a thud but was still laughing too hard to care.  
  
"How much are the winnings?" Tia asked, she needed money and she was hoping the rodeo would be enough.  
  
"20 bucks for first place but they will pay more if you are a regular. Like I said if the crowd likes you then they will come when they know you are riding. The more people come, the more money Buck gets the more he will pay you because he wants you to come back" Dally said shrugging.  
  
"Are there any other girl's that ride?" Tia asked, curious.  
  
"Nope, you are the first and the only. There aren't any rules saying you can't or nothing its just that is a rough game. Most girl's prefere to cheer from the sidelines." Dally said.  
  
"I prefere to join the game, thank you very much." Tia said jokingly.  
  
They didn't do much for the rest of the day. They mostly just sat around, watched Tv and played poker while they waited for the rest of the gang to get home.  
  
That night, before Dally he talking to Tia again.  
  
"The rodeo starts right after supper, around 6 o'clock. It finishes around 11 cause Buck wants to get back to his house for the party." Dally said, Tia gave him a hopeful look. "Like I said, Darry will never let you go there. I will pick you up at 5, its takes about half an hour to get there and we will be there early so we can take a look at what you will be riding."  
  
Tia waved good bye and watched as Dally zoomed down the street, running a stop sign and turned up his music up until all you could hear was the bass. He may be from New York but he was a cowboy at heart. 


	9. Ride Hard

The next morning Tia's nerves were high. Her stomach was clenched and her mouth was dry. She didn't tell the guys though, she kept her face calm and tried to act as normal as possible.  
  
Steve, Soda, and Two-Bit were going to be coming to the rodeo with them. Pony and Johnny were going to a football game at the school and Darry didn't really want them down there anyways.  
  
It wasn't as rough down there as Buck's party's but it was nutorious for its rough fights. There were alot of tough hoods down there. Tia was just going to wear a pair of jeans and a long sleeve shirt. She had her hair tied back and held there with a bandana. She didn't bother bringing her blade since there weren't going to be any Socs, she was with the guys and it was too hard to ride with them on her.  
  
At ten to 5 Dally pulled up with Steve and Two-Bit. They jogged up the steps and opened the door.  
  
"Everyone ready?" Dally called.  
  
Tia just nodded not trusting her voice. Dally looked her over and shook his head.  
  
"Nope, not gonna work. Try this." Dally said throwing her a black shirt he had in his hand.  
  
It was a black halter top. It has a high neck and the back a mass of ties and strings.  
  
"What is God's name is this?" Tia asked looking it over.  
  
"A shirt, now put it on." Dally said impatiently.  
  
"Like hell I will." Tia said tossing it back to him.  
  
"Come on. You wanna get the crowds to like you. So if your riddin' sucks they might like you for other reasons." Dally said throwing the shirt back to her.  
  
"I can't ride in this! Look at it." Tia said, exasperated.  
  
"I swear it will be comfortable and it will be cooler then a t-shirt. Just trying it on." Dally pleaded.  
  
"Thats sad, you sound like a little kid." Tia said.  
  
She went into the bathroom to change. She finally gave up trying to figure out the strings so she opened the door and called into the living room.  
  
"A little help here." Tia yelled.  
  
Two-Bit jumped to his feet but Dally shot him a dirty look. Soda went instead. With his help and a good five minutes. All of the strings were securly tied and in place. Tia did have to admit that it was pretty comfortable. She went back into the living room.  
  
"Ready, lets get." Tia said.  
  
"Glory." Two-Bit whistled, when he saw her.  
  
"One more word out of you Matthews and you won't even be able to whistle." Tia said threatenly.  
  
Two-Bit bit held his tongue for one of the few times in his life and they all piled into Dally's car. With the way that Dally drives it only took 20 minutes to get there. There were all eager to get out of the car after Two-Bit talking about this new blonde who moved in down the street from him, the entire drive there.  
  
Steve and Soda went to talk to some girl's and agreed to meet up with the gang later. Two-Bit went off in search of either blondes or boo's, which ever he found first.  
  
Tia just followed Dally around who seemed to know where he was going. They found Buck and gave him the money for riding. He still seemed skeptical about Tia riding but wouldn't argue with Dally.  
  
Next they went to take a look at the horses. There were a dozen horses and none of them looking very happy to be there. As 6 o'clock came closer, more and more Hood's and Greasers were getting there.  
  
At six o'clock the 15 and under's rode. There weren't very many and they were finished before 7.  
  
"The broncs are wild tonight." Dally said to Tia as they watched a kid who looked about 13, get thrown to the ground and landed painfully on his back.  
  
Tia's group was next and Dally went to wait with her. There were five other guys riding with her and she was riding third. None of them seemed very happy to be riding with a girl but since Dally was with her, they didn't bother her that much.  
  
The first guy was pretty good and stayed on for about 10 seconds. Although it doesn't sound like much it is an okay time for bronc riding. The second guy barely stayed on for a second. He was thrown to the ground. He was stayed down for a second, he seemed stunned but as the horse came back, bucking towards him, he got up and ran for the fence.  
  
Tia was next and Dally took her over to the pen. She climbed in and onto a big bay horse. He was snorting and pawing impatientently. In the extremely small pen, he could not move and was growing more and more nervous.  
  
Dally was leaning on the fence next to her giving her some last minute pointers while she tied her hand onto the rope that was around the horse.  
  
"Dally, it's okay, I can do this." Tia said to stop his babbling.  
  
"Okay, sorry." Dally said "I will be over by the gait with the guys and we will be waiting for ya. Ride hard."  
  
With that he hoped of the fence and ran towards the gang.  
  
"Ready?" Buck asked her.  
  
Tia nodded and Buck pulled the rope and the door swung open. Everything went so fast but she rode the best she could. The crowd was cheering loudly and the horse was spinning faster and faster.  
  
Finally she knew she couldn't hold on any longer so she slipped her hand out of the rope. She landed on her shoulder and rolled to her feet. The bronc calmed down now that she was off of his back and trotted out of the pen to where the horses were being kept.  
  
Tia dusted herself off and hopped over the fence to where the guys were waiting for her. Soda pulled her into a hug as soon as she was close enough.  
  
"Glory, you scared the crap outta me." Soda said releasing her.  
  
"Did I ride hard enough for you Dallas?" Tia asked a smiling Dally.  
  
"Yeah, you did pretty good kid." Dally said.  
  
Two-Bit was trying to congragulate her but he was too drunk for her to make any sense out of what he was saying.  
  
"15 seconds." Buck hollered.  
  
The crowd cheered louder and Soda hugged her again. Tia just laughed in disbelief. 


	10. Dallas The Cowboy

The three other guy's didn't come close to her time. She got $100 for winnings. Everywhere she went around the rodeo people kept congragulating her or just stared at her. Most still couldn't believe that a girl was riding in the rodeo and that she was winning.  
  
Dally's group was going to be riding next. There were 8 other guys riding with him. He left Tia with Soda and Steve so that he could go and get ready. Tia could see many eyes in the crowd were on Dally as he stood by the fence and watched the first few of his group ride.  
  
"Why does the crowd love him so much?" Tia asked Soda as a guy was thrown painfully to the ground.  
  
"He can get the crowd worked up and everyone knows him anyways. They can relate to him since he is one of them. He isn't even that great of a rider, he is just fun to watch." Soda said, still watching the ring.  
  
Tia watched patiently, it was Dally's turn and the time to beat was 19 seconds. She watched as he climbed over the fence and onto a black and white horse. He skillfully tied his hand onto the rope. The crowd cheered for him even before Buck opened the gate. Dally yelled right along with them until he managed to get them chanting "Greaser, Greaser".  
  
Dally gave Buck a short nod and he pulled the rope. The gait flung open and the horse shot out. The crowd yelled for him. The horse bucked painfully insmall circles. Tia would have held her breath except she was too busy yelling for him.  
  
He was thrown to the ground after what seemed like years. He was quick to get back on his feet because the horse was coming back. Dally ran for the gate where the gang was standing and hopped over.  
  
Once the horse calmed down, Dally stood on one of the bars of the fence and yelled to Buck to see what his time was.  
  
"21 seconds!" Buck yelled back.  
  
Dally was so happy that he hugged Tia and lifted her right off her feet.  
  
"Can't breath." Tia managed to choke out.  
  
Dally put her down but was still grinning. Even though he only got second he was still happy. Tia got introduced to so many people she could barely remember any names. The rodeo ended at about 10:30pm.  
  
"See you at the party Dallas!" Buck called as the gang made their way through the crowd.  
  
They all piled into the car and pulled out of the field. All the way Two-Bit kept talking about something but he wasn't making any sense so Tia just nodded and smiled.  
  
"We are just gonna drop you guys off at your house." Dally said, Soda wasn't going to the party, Darry didn't like him being around there.  
  
"Come on Dally, please." Tia said leaning forward from the backseat.  
  
"Nope." Dally said and came to a stop infront of their house. "Out."  
  
Tia scowled at him and climbed over Two-Bit to get out of the car. Soda got out and skipped up the steps into the house.  
  
"C'mere kid." Dally called Tia over to the car.  
  
"Changed your mind?" Tia asked hopefully.  
  
"Hell no." Dally said grinning "I just wanted to tell you that Buck hopes to see you at the next rodeo, word of you has spred quickly."  
  
Tia nodded and waved at they pulled away. Before she went into the house, a car pulled up infront of it.  
  
"Hey Tia." a voice said from the car.  
  
She turned around and saw a tough looking hood staring back at her. Dally was friends with him, she remembered that, she had been introduced to him that night.  
  
"Tim Shepard, right?" Tia asked remembering his name.  
  
"Of course, you heading to Buck's party?" Tim asked.  
  
"I wanted to but Dally wouldn't take me." Tia said.  
  
"We are heading there, you wanna come?" Tim asked, he had his brother Curly and some of his friends in the car too.  
  
"I dunno, if Dally sees me, he will kill me." Tia said.  
  
"He doesn't hang around the party much, he is usually upstairs in one of the bedrooms." Tim said grinning.  
  
"Too much information, lets go." Tia said, climbing into the backseat.  
  
There were three other tough looking hoods in the backseat who eyed Tia.  
  
"Lay off." Tim said warningly.  
  
Buck's parties were always trouble but then again Tia tended to attract trouble. It she partied half as hard as she rode, she was going to be in for trouble tonight. 


	11. Tim Shepard

They pulled up in front of a small two-story house. Tia climbed out of the car with rest of the guys. Music could be heard all the way down the street. The house was packed and more people were outside.  
  
"You just stick with us." Tim said smiling and putting an arm over her shoulders.  
  
The went into the house and got something to drink. Tia got a can of beer and followed Tim around and got introduced to even more people. When she finished her can Tim got her another one. Tia was having a great time, listening to the music and everything. After two cans of beer she refused the next one Tim offered her, she was finding it hard to focus so she figured she should stop.  
  
They were sitting on the couch talking to a couple hoods and after they left they started talking themselves. Tim told her about his brother Curly and his sister Angela. He was being so nice to her. One thing led to another and they ended up making out in the corner.  
  
She didn't know how long they had been at it but felt someone tap her quite hard on the shoulder. She didn't bother turned around but just stuck her middle finger up behind her, maybe then who ever it was would realize she was kind of busy.  
  
Someones hand gripped his middle finger and bent it painfully. She broke away from Tim, ready to cuss out whoever it was. She stared in shock when her eyes met two cold blue one.  
  
"Fancy meeting you here, Dally." Tia said wide eyed.  
  
Dally just glared at her and pulled her away from Tim.  
  
"Come on Dallas, we were just having a little fun." Tim said laughing.  
  
"Do you know how old she is?" Dally demanded.  
  
"No, I was a little too busy to ask." Tim said smirking.  
  
"She 13 for Christs sake!" Dally yelled.  
  
"Oh, oops." Tim said shrugging.  
  
"Dally please don't." Tia said quietly.  
  
"Were leaving." Dally said, pulling her with him through the crowd.  
  
He pulled her out towards the car and jerked her around to face him.  
  
"I don't wanna see you around Tim Shepard ever again, you hear me!?" Dally yelled.  
  
"Skrew off Dallas!" Tia yelled right back at him "It's my life and I will hang out with who the hell I want to!"  
  
She went to turn to walk away but Dally grabbed her arms by the wrists and slammed her against his car. She looked up at him, his cold blue eyes blazing with anger.  
  
"You listen and listen good." Dally hissed "Tim may be one of my buddies but I know for a fact the he has raped at least four girl's. He is trouble and won't hesitate to take advantage of you if he is giving the chance."  
  
"I didn't know." Tia whispered.  
  
Dally finally realized how tight he had a hold of her arms and let go.  
  
"Wait here, I am going to tell Steve and Two-Bit I am leaving." Dally said walking away.  
  
Tia leaned against the car and was thinking about what Dally had told her when three girl's approached her.  
  
"You better stay away from my man." the blonde said when she got close enough.  
  
"Who's you man?" Tia asked, too tired to care.  
  
"Dally and you better keep your distance." she said.  
  
"Who's gonna make me? You and your little friends?" Tia asked, standing up.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Hey Steve!" Dally yelled.  
  
"What?" Steve asked coming around the corner.  
  
"I am heading out, Tia is here and I am taking her home." Dally said.  
  
"Okay." Steve said and went back to where he and Evie had been talking. He was too drunk to ask any questions.  
  
There was a stir in the crowd and everyone started for the door. Dally knew what this meant, there was a fight. Dally followed the crowd outside. The circle of people around the fight was too thick and Dally couldn't see who was fighting. Instead he grabbed the first guy he could get a hold of.  
  
"Who's fighting?" Dally demanded.  
  
"Two chicks, one of them can really fight, the other girl is getting quite a pounding." the guy said breathlessly.  
  
Dally knew who the tough chick was in an instant and proceeded to shove his way through the crowd. He got to edge and caught sight of the two fighters. It was Tia and Dally's ex-girlfriend, Brenda. Tia had her pinned and was beating her senseless. 


	12. A Different Kind Of Fighting

Dally watched helplessly as Tia fought. He would have liked to break up the fight and drag her out of there but you just did not do that sort of thing around there. Luckily Tia didn't look that hurt except she looked like she might pop a couple knuckles.  
  
Before Dally could do anything Brenda's boyfriend and his buddy joined in the fight. One pulled Tia off of Brenda and held her arms while the other one took a few swings at her. This was no longer a fair fight so Dally joined in.  
  
He jumped on the back of the one who was beating Tia and wrestled him to the ground. He hadn't even noticed but Steve had joined in too and was working on the other guy.  
  
Dally had the other guy out cold in a matter of minutes and had just enough time to grab Tia before she lunged at Brenda again. Dally yelled to Steve and dragged a struggling Tia towards the car.  
  
Steve came trotting close behind Dally as they fought their way through the crowd. Dally transfered his struggling captive to Steve so he could unlock the doors.  
  
"For god's sake Tia, calm down!" Steve yelled.  
  
She just struggled and cussed harder and louder. Steve, who wasn't known for patience, slammed Tia against the car as hard as he could. It knocked the breath from her lungs and she hung limp in his arms, gasping for air.  
  
Steve almost jumped ten feet when someone shot up from the back seat. Two-Bit peered out the window. He looked at them as if he had never seen them before and layed back down. How he got in there, they didn't know. Dally got the car unlocked and reached back to unlock their door from the drivers seat.  
  
Steve roughly shoved Tia into the car ahead of him. They drove home in silence, the only to be heard was Two-Bit snores and Tia painfull forced breathing.  
  
Dally pulled up infront of the house. He would have liked just to drop her off but he could see Darry still awake in the living room and knew that he had some explaining to do.  
  
He climbed out of the car and walked up the steps with an angry Steve and Tia who was clutching her rib cage. Dally silently hopped that Steve or the other guys hadn't broken any of her ribs.  
  
Dally opened the door and the other two followed him inside.  
  
"Evening Darry." Dally said calmly and plopped down on the couch.  
  
Darry just stared at him for second then looked from Steve to Tia who was glaring at Dally.  
  
"Where the hell have you been?" Darry asked trying to keep his voice down, Pony and Soda were sleeping.  
  
"At a party." Tia said and backed up against the wall as Darry came towards her.  
  
"Who's?" Darry said dangerously.  
  
"Buck Meril's." Tia said looking him straight in the eye.  
  
"Your wasted." Darry said, smelling beer off her breath.  
  
"No I ain't, not compared to Two-Bit that it." Tia said with sarcasim.  
  
"You've been fighting." Darry said clenching his teeth to keep from yelling.  
  
"Yeah." Tia said coldly and slid past him.  
  
She sat down on the couch as far from Dally as possible.  
  
"Did you take her there?" Darry asked Dally.  
  
"No, Tim did." Dally said shrugging.  
  
"Tim Shepard?!" Darry yelled.  
  
Sure enough stirring came from Pony and Soda's bedroom and they emerged from their room.  
  
"What's going on?" Soda asked, his voice heavy with sleep.  
  
"Tia just came back, wasted and beat up from Buck's party!" Darry yelled now that he didn't have to keep his voice down.  
  
"You got to go to Buck's party? Lucky..." Pony commented while he poured himself a glass of chocolate milk.  
  
"Would you just lay off Darry!? I can take care of myself." Tia said angrily putting her head in her hands.  
  
Her stomach felt sick and her head and ribs were throbbing.  
  
"You and Tim didn't..." Darry asked his angry voice was now quiet and concerned.  
  
Tia didn't answer, disgusted that he would even think she was that type of girl.  
  
"I caught them making out in a corner, I dunno if they were upstairs or not." Dally pointed out.  
  
"Shut-up Dallas, you have helped enough. What is it with you guys? Do you have a one track mind or something?" Tia said, frustrated "So what if I did? It's none of your buisness!"  
  
"While your staying in my house it is my buisness!" Darry yelled.  
  
"Fine then, no, me and Tim didn't do anything else but I am not sorry for what I did do. Then only thing I am sorry about is getting caught." Tia said.  
  
She closed her eyes again, hoping the ground would stop spinning.  
  
"Come on Darry. Don't yell at her anymore, she looks like she could pass out and minute now." Soda said quietly.  
  
"She got thrown around a bit," Dally said, not wanting to point out Steve did some of the throwing "she might had cracked a few ribs."  
  
"I am going to bed." Tia said, standing up.  
  
She swayed for a minute and the colour drained from her face. She quickly sat back down, growing more and more frustrated with herself.  
  
"Thalia." said a quite voice infront of her.  
  
She looked up into Darry's concerned face.  
  
"You scared me tonight." Darry said "We think of you like a kid sister even though we barely know anything about you. We want you to stay here but you can't keep getting yourself into trouble because your luck will eventually run out and we won't be around to help you."  
  
"Fine then." Tia said "What do you wanna know?" 


	13. Tia's Life

"How old are you for starters?" Darry asked.  
  
"Like I told Two-Bit, thirteen and a half." Tia said leaning back.  
  
"Thirteen!?" Darry exclaimed. "Why the hell didn't you guys tell me?!"  
  
"Cause we knew you would freak out like you are doing now." Two-Bit said managing to make a full sentance.  
  
"Is your name actually Thalia?" Darry asked sitting down.  
  
"Yeah, Thalia Amber Laurel." Tia said, he voice thick with boredom.  
  
"Your parents are dead, right?" Darry asked.  
  
"Nope, my dad is in Dallas and my mom is six feet under." Thalia said tucking a stray piece of blonde hair behind her ear.  
  
"You lied?" Darry asked.  
  
"Yeah." Tia said without any remorse.  
  
"Why did you run away?" Soda asked when Darry didn't say anything else.  
  
"I was sick being shoved around by my older brother Evan and even more sick of my dad taking swings at me." Thalia said slouching down farther on the couch.  
  
"Your dad and brother hit you?" Johnny asked.  
  
Tia quickly sat up straighter, Johnny had barely said three words to her since she got here. He was now looking her directly in the eyes. She looked back at him, she could see the pain and fear in his eyes, it broke her heart. In that moment she knew, he had been abused too.  
  
"My brother didn't hit me too much, he just made fun of me alot and kept getting me into a lot of trouble with the fuzz and stuff. My dad would beat me alot but he could have done worse. I left cause I didn't know how much longer it would take him to take that step further. Plus the night I ran away he finally pushed me too far. He cracked a bottle on my knee cap while I was sleeping. I still got the pieces of glass in there since the wound healed over." Tia said looking directly at Johnny. "You dad hits you too?"  
  
Johnny nodded and Soda hugged him to make him feel better. He probably would have hugged Tia too but knew better, she didn't look in the hugging type of mood.  
  
"You hitch-hiked here?" Darry finally asked.  
  
"Yeah, I rode with a trucker from Dallas to Wichita Falls. From there I rode in a van of high schoolers to Oklahoma City. From there I rode in a truck with two guys to Muskogee. I rode with another trucker to Sapulpa and walked to Tulsa and the rest is history."  
  
"Wow." Dally whistled. "Hitch hiking is kinda dangerous."  
  
"I had my blades with me, I am quite sure I was more dangerous then anyone I could meet on my travels." Tia said making them laugh.  
  
"And you didn't do anything with Tim, right?" Darry asked.  
  
"Come on Darry. I am not that type of girl, I don't sleep around with Hood's I meet at parties." Tia said smiling when Darry turned slightly red and looking away.  
  
"One more question?" Two-Bit asked, his words still slurred.  
  
"Sure." Tia said shrugging.  
  
"If you didn't mess around with Tim then how many guys have you-"  
  
Darry shoved Two-Bit, cutting off his sentance.  
  
"You don't have to answer that." Darry said giving Two-Bit a filthy look.  
  
"Wha?" Two-Bit said getting up "I was just wondering, take it easy."  
  
"None." Tia said in between laughs.  
  
"What?" Dally asked turning to face her.  
  
"Matthews asked me a question and I answered him, I haven't been with any guys." Tia said still laughing at the look on the guys faces.  
  
"You kiddin'?" Dally asked.  
  
"Nope, I don't wanna get pregnant, I live too fast and I don't want to be slowed down now." Tia said shrugging.  
  
Dally didn't say anything else. She was one of the very few people he actually admired even though he didn't admit it. She knew how to take care of herself and she used good judgement, he should have known she could handle Buck's party and Tim.  
  
"Is there any chance your father or brother could be looking for you?" Darry asked when everyone had regained their composure.  
  
"My brother probably will, he still thinks I am his baby sister. If he finds me, he will take me back to my father. I would prefere to die then go back home, hell if I went back home he would probably kill me anyways." Tia said sighing.  
  
"Don't worry Tia." Dally said putting an arm around her shoulders. "We won't let anything happen to you." 


	14. Back To Normal

The guys didn't mention anything that they had talked about that night. Things slowly started to get back to normal. They treated Tia about the same except they weren't quite so overprotective. She appriciated that.   
  
A week after Buck's party, the whole gang was sitting around eating supper (fried chicken and mashed potatoes, curtesy of Darry).  
  
"Hey Tia?" Darry said when he finished his plate.  
  
"Hmmm?" Tia mumbled, her mouth too full of chicken to talk.  
  
"If you are gonna be staying here, don't you think we should try and get you into school?" Darry asked.  
  
"School was never one of my strong points." Tia said once she swallowed.  
  
"What grade were you in?" Darry asked.  
  
"Half way through eight when I was expelled." Tia said, putting more potatoes on her plate.  
  
"Why did you get expelled?" Pony asked.  
  
"Fighting." Tia said shrugging "I sent two guys to the hospital, I guess I broke ones arm and four of the other guys ribs. Now I realize how much it must have hurt."  
  
Tia put a hand on her still tender rib cage. She had let Soda fix her up the next morning because she hadn't slept from the pain the night before.  
  
"We could get you into the Jr.High a block away from Pony's school, Stonehill I think it is." Darry said.  
  
"Do I really have to go? I suck at school and I am happier here." Tia said scowling at her plate.  
  
"Just give it a try, you can't have sucked that bad if you got to grade eight." Darry pointed out.  
  
"Fine, when do I have to start?" Tia said sighing.  
  
"Monday, I will talk to the principal and get everything arranged for you." Darry said.  
  
"Tell me about the school, is there alot of Socs or is it more Hoods?" Tia asked, scrapping the last bit of food off of her plate.  
  
"Same as the highschool, pretty much half and half." Pony said.  
  
"How far away is it?" Tia asked leaning back in her chair.  
  
"Far enough that you will have to take the bus." Darry said.  
  
"Don't worry kid, I will drive ya and pick ya up for your first day." Dally said.  
  
Dally had really taken a liking to Tia. Although the rest of the gang called her Tia, he usally called her T-Bird of 'Kid'. Although Tia didn't know, Dally had taken the liberty of beating the crap out of Tim Shepard the last time he saw him.  
  
"Any pointers for my first day?" Tia asked Pony, who had gone to that school.  
  
"The dress code sucks hard." Pony said shrugging.  
  
"What is the punishment for breaking the dress code?" Tia asked.  
  
"Detention I think." Pony replied.  
  
"Excellent." Tia said, smirking to herself.  
  
"Hey, now don't you go planning on breaking rule before you even get there." Darry said.  
  
"Don't you worry Darrel." Tia said, emphizing his name.  
  
So it was settled, Tia was going to start school at Stonehill. The school better be ready for a shock. 


	15. Stupid Socs

Monday morning, Darry was giving Tia some last minute intructions before she left for school. Tia was quickly eating a piece of chocolate cake while she was listening to Darry and nodding.  
  
"Go to the main office as soon as you get there and they will get you set up with a locker and someone will take you to your first class." Darry said, finishing his coffee.  
  
The screen door opened and Dally came in, the door slamming behind him. He noticed that Tia was wearing the halter top he had giving her the night of the rodeo but Darry didn't notice because she already had her jacket on. From the front it just looked like a normal black halter.  
  
"Ready to go?" Dally asked, grabbing a piece of cake for the road.  
  
"Whatever." Tia said as she followed Dally to the car, they were driving Pony to school too.  
  
They dropped Pony off first so Tia climbed in front to take Pony's place in the passengers seat. Four minutes later, Dally pulled up infront of a large brick building. The windows were dark and it certainly didn't look very friendly. She peered at the kids that were around the school. Hoods walked in groups, Socs walked in groups, Tia realized that she was going to be walking alone, she was going to be a target.  
  
"See ya at three." Dally said as Tia climbed out of the car. "Do you got your blades on ya?"  
  
Tia nodded, knowing that even though blades were band from the school, Dally wouldn't make her leave them.  
  
"Good." he said and slammed his foot on gas as soon as Tia closed her door.  
  
The car took off and the tires squeeled. Tia smiled to herself, Dally was really something else. She walked up the steps with her head held high. Alot of eyes were on her, Dally was well known all over the place and word of Tia had spread since the last rodeo.  
  
Tia took off her jacket as she walked up the steps. She had managed to get all of the ties done up this morning but it had taken a good 20 minutes.  
  
A group of greasey girls were giggling in a group by the doors. When Tia passed by, one of them yelled to her.  
  
"So your Dallas Winstons new toy?"  
  
Tia didn't bother wasting any breath on her and just gave her the finger and kept walking. She found the main office easily and pushed the door open. An older woman looked up from behind a desk.  
  
"You must be Ms.Laurel?" she asked.  
  
"Yes, Thalia Laurel." Tia said.  
  
"Mr.Williams will be here in a few minutes to take you to your locker and class room. Please have a seat while you wait." the older woman said and went back to her work.  
  
Tia didn't bother sitting down, she just leaned against the wall and watched the clock. Five minutes later a tall dark haired man came in. He spotted Tia and smiled.  
  
"Thalia, right?" Mr.Williams asked.  
  
"Tia, please." Tia said and followed him out the door.  
  
After following him through a maze of halls and stairs, he stopped in front of an empty locker. She stuck her jacket in it and he gave her a lock, she wrote the combination (45-28-10) down on the palm of her hand.  
  
She then followed him into an empty class that had his name marked on the door.  
  
"This is your homeroom class, you will come here every morning before going to your other classes." Mr.Williams explained and pointed to a desk in the back where she would be sitting.  
  
He gave her a schedule and said that the teachers would give herbooks as she went to their classes. When he finished talking kids began to come in. Most of the Socs didn't pay much attention to her but the Hoods kept starring and whispering. Boy, this was going to be a long day...  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
At three o'clock Dally was parked outside Tia's school, he already picked up Pony who was fiddling with the radio dials. He caught sight of Tia heading towards the car. Something was wrong, she had her jacket over on arm and the other full of books but she had her head down and her hair was blocking her face.  
  
She opened the door to the back seat and slid in. She mumbled a quick 'hi' but kept her head down. Dally turned around in his seat and Pony did too when he realized something was wrong.  
  
"Look at me." Dally ordered.  
  
"Do I have to?" Tia asked.  
  
"Yeah." Dally said.  
  
Tia slowly lifted her head and pushed her hair away from her face. She had a black eye and a split lip.  
  
"Glory." Dally whispered. "Socs?"  
  
Tia nodded grimly.  
  
"How many?" Dally asked, he knew they must have been guys because Soc girls were not into fighting.  
  
"Three at the start, six at then end." Tia said, not meeting Dally's eyes.  
  
"Why?" Pony asked.  
  
"They kept getting in my face all through lunch. I figured they would leave once they got bored with me. When one tried to untie the back of my shirt I took a swing at him and the rest joined in. Don't worry, some older Hoods broke up the fight before I could do any permanent damage to the Socs."  
  
"Its not those stupid Socs I am worried about, its you." Dally said scowling.  
  
"Did any of the teachers see?" Pony asked, Dally was still to furious that someone had hurt Tia.  
  
"No, I don't think so and if they did they certainly didn't care." Tia said shrugging.  
  
"Can we go home now? I would like to ice my face before it starts to look any worse." Tia asked Dally.  
  
"Sure thing T-Bird." 


	16. Lisa

Dally stayed with Tia and Pony for a little while after school. Tia didn't say much, mostly just alternating a bag of ice from her eye to her lip.  
  
"There's a rodeo coming up." Dally said when Tia gave up with the ice.  
  
"When?" Tia asked sitting up.  
  
"Friday." Dally answered.  
  
"I dunno if I should go or not. My face must look kinda nasty right now." Tia pointed out.  
  
"You have to go, people have been asking about you." Dally said.  
  
"Why?" Tia asked, confused.  
  
"Because they are not use to seeing a girl riding in the rodeos and even more impressed at how good you ride." Dally said.  
  
"Same winnings?" Tia asked, carefully touching her lip to see if the swelling went down any.  
  
"No, Buck said he will throw in an extra 20 if you show and win." Dally explained.  
  
"Fine, i'll go. You riding?" Tia asked.  
  
"Yeah, I need to try and get some more cash. I lost an awful lot in a poker game earlier in the week." Dally yelled from the kitchen where he was rumaging through the fridge.  
  
"Hellllllllllo!?" a yell came from outside and the sound of the door opening was heard.  
  
"In here!" Pony yelled back  
  
Tia laughed to herself, she loved being in a house where when you yelled you didn't get lectured.  
  
Soda and Steve came into the room a few minutes. Tia kept her face tilted down and let her hair hang infront of her fair a little. She didn't feel like explaining her day all over again.  
  
"How was your first day at Stonehill." Soda asked, taking off his jacket.  
  
Tia let out a couple chosen words.  
  
"That good." Soda said and turned on the television.  
  
Tia could feel Steve watching her from across the room.  
  
"How thick is your skull, Soda Pop?" Steve asked mockinly.  
  
"Depends." Soda said looking up "If it is a competition, my skull is thicker then yours. If not, then not quite as thick as Two-Bit's."  
  
Pony laughed but Steve just glared.  
  
"She is hiding something, she won't show you her face." Steve said motioning to Tia.  
  
"Thanks alot, I will get you later." Tia growled.  
  
"What happened?" Soda asked turning off the tv and turning towards Tia.  
  
"Socs." Dally managed to say through a mouthfull of chocolate cake.  
  
"Glory, Tia please look at me." Soda said gently.  
  
Tia looked up at him and tried to smile but it hurt her lip.  
  
"I'm fine, don't worry, the Socs look worse then me." she said and got a smile from Soda.  
  
Luckily Soda and Steve dropped the subject but Darry flipped when he saw her.  
  
"Fighting on the first day of school?!" he yelled "What do you have to say for yourself?"  
  
"Well," Tia said looking coldly at him "I won."  
  
That got a laugh from the gang but Darry just continued to glare at her. He stormed off before he said anything he would regret. She had wanted to give him some more money for letting her stay ther but she was scared he might tried to stuff it down her throat if she gave it to him now. Instead she gave it too Soda.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
The next day at school while she was trudging through the halls she heard quick foot steps coming up beside her. She noticed a shorter girl with dark brown hair keeping stride with her.  
  
"Are you Tia?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah, why do you wanna know?" Tia asked and kept walking.  
  
"Your the girl everyone is talking about!" She exclaimed "The one who rides in rodeos, beats up Socs and gets around with Dallas Winston."  
  
"I don't get around with Dally, well not like that. He is like a brother to me." Tia explained impatiently. "Who are you anyways?"  
  
"Lisa Walker. I never saw you ride before but everyone says that you are really good. My brother KJ saw you ride last time, he hasn't stopped talking about you." Lisa exclaimed. "I still can't believe you hang out with Dallas, he is the toughest guy around."  
  
"Here's my class." Tia said turning into her History class.  
  
"I am in your class too, I sit right behind you." Lisa said following her.  
  
Tia had missed History yesterday because of the fight. It turns out they had to do a project in History so Tia went with Lisa. Although she was quite a chatter box, it was nice to talk to someone who isn't a guy or scared of you.  
  
Lisa went home with Tia to work on their project after school. Dally was already there, sleeping on the couch when Tia opened the door. Tia decided to take advantage of his unconscious state. She found a marker and was half way through a mustache on his face when he woke up.  
  
"What are you doing now T-Bird?" he asked rubbing his face, smudging the mustache.  
  
He looked down at his hand and saw the marker. He playfully knocked her into a chair as he made his way to the bathroom.  
  
"Glory." Lisa whispered. "I thought he was gonna kill you."  
  
"Dally? No way, he wouldn't for a little thing like that." Tia said.  
  
When Dally came back from washing his face he tried to hold Tia down so he could give her a mustache too.  
  
"Now Dallas." Tia said laughing "Not infront of company."  
  
"Company?" Dally asked, giving up.  
  
"Meet Lisa Walker, she is in my class, we have to work on a project." Tia said.  
  
Dally nodded to Lisa and smiled. Lisa looked like an animal in head lights, she just stared-wide eyed-at him. He looked at Tia and raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Don't worry, he won't bite... I think." Tia said laughing.  
  
Dally just laughed at the comment.  
  
"Walker? You related to KJ?" Dally asked Lisa.  
  
"Yeah." Lisa replied and cleared her throat "He is my brother."  
  
"He is a tough guy, I get around with him sometimes. Tell him he still owes me 5 bucks." Dally said and went into the kitchen.  
  
Lisa wasn't sure if he was joking or not. She had heard so many stories about Dallas Winston that she was terrified of him. They spred out their books on the floor and started their project. It was on World War II.  
  
"Tia?" Dally yelled from the kitchen.  
  
"Yeah?" Tia yelled back.  
  
"What are you wearing for the rodeo?" Dally asked.  
  
"I dunno, probably that black shirt you gave me." Tia said.  
  
"No way T-Bird." Dally exclaimed "You don't wear the same thing twice to a rodeo. Not when so many people are going to be watching for you. I will pick something up for ya again, k?"  
  
"Sure, just make sure it covers most of my body." Tia added.  
  
She knew that when Dally said 'pick something up' he literaly ment it, like Dallas Winston would ever pay for something. 


	17. Sea Green Eyes

For the rest of the week, Lisa followed Tia around like a second shadow. Tia tried painfully hard not to get into any fights, to keep Darry happy. She succeeded, except for the fact that she smashed a Soc's head with her locker door because he kept annoying her.  
  
Friday was there before she knew it. Her lip had healed but still hurt when she smile wide. Her eye didn't look too bad but was still slightly blue underneath it.  
  
Lisa said she would see Tia at the rodeo that night because she had convinced KJ to take her. She also wanted to introduce Tia to KJ because he wanted to meet her.  
  
Soda and Steve picked her and Pony up after school because they got off work early. The entire drive home Tia and Soda sang along with the radio much to the amusement of Pony and the annoyment of Steve.  
  
Soon after they got home Two-Bit got there too.  
  
"Who's ready for a wild night?" he yelled as soon as he opened the door.  
  
"Calm down, your not helping my nerves." Tia yelled back to him.  
  
"Don't be nervous, kid. You are gonna win tonight, I can feel it." Two-Bit said coming into the kitchen where they all were.  
  
"Sorry but that doesn't help." Tia replied, boosting herself up onto the counter.  
  
"You are not going to believe what I heard from Dally." Two-Bit said, his voice full of excitement "He was talking to Buck who heard that there is going to be almost double the crowd. They all want to see this girl who rides with the guys."  
  
"Double the crowd?" Tia whispered.  
  
"Yeah, some of the toughest Hood's are even going to be there."  
  
"I think I am going to be sick." Tia said before running to the bathroom.  
  
"Nice going, Matthews." Steve said, shoving Two-Bit.  
  
"How was I suppose to know she was going to freak out?" Two-Bit, rubbing his shoulder where Steve pushed him.  
  
"Tia?" Soda asked, knocking on the bathroom door. "You okay?"  
  
"Yeah, I am fine." Tia called back. "False alarm, just give me a minute."  
  
Soda went back into the kitchen and waited for Tia to come out.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
When Tia finally gave up trying to eat, she went into the bathroom to change pants and put on some make-up that she had bought earlier that week with her winnings.  
  
"Hello?" Dally called out while he came in.  
  
"In the kitchen!" Soda called.  
  
"Where's T-Bird?" Dally asked, entering the kitchen.  
  
"In the bathroom." Tia yelled.  
  
"I got your shirt, open the door." Dally said, turning the handle of the locked bathroom door.  
  
"Just I sec, I don't have any pants on." Tia called.  
  
"We are running low on time. Hurry up T-Bird. " Dally called, knocking on the door "Its nothing I haven't seen before."  
  
"And its nothing your going to see of me." Tia said sticking her head out the door "What did you get?"  
  
"Here." Dally said handing the shirt to Tia before she closed the door.  
  
The shirt was blood red and had the word 'Cowboy', cut out across the chest and the back at the, it had "Live Fast, Ride Hard' cut out.  
  
"Thanks Dally!" Tia called as she pulled the shirt over her head.  
  
"Who else is coming?" Tia asked once she had came out of the bathroom and was lacing up her boots.  
  
"Me and Steve, Soda and Pony are staying home, Darry's orders." Two-Bit said.  
  
"Where's Johnny?" Tia asked, realizing she hadn't seen him all day.  
  
"His parents were being harder then usual and didn't get much sleep. He went to work with Darry and stayed in the car to sleep while Darry worked." Soda explained "He could have stayed here but he was paranoid that his parents might come looking for him."  
  
Tia just nodded and stood up once her boots were on.  
  
"Let's ride." Tia said and followed the boys out to Dally's car.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The rodeo was packed, I mean packed. When Tia got out of the car, people kept coming up to her and saying hi and half of these people she had never seen before in her life. She didn't want to loose Dally in the crowd and he knew it so he kept a firm arm around her shoulders.  
  
They lost Two-Bit and Steve but they would be back at the car when it was time to go. They watched the first few rounds and Dally took Tia over to the gate when her group was going to be starting.  
  
"How are ya feeling?" Dally asked Tia, smiling down at her.  
  
"Why is everyone staring at me?" Tia asked, everywhere she looked, eyes met hers.  
  
"Don't think about them, just think about riding." Dally said and yelled to Buck to see when she would be riding.  
  
"Second out of five." Buck yelled back.  
  
The first guy got thrown off almost as soon as the gate opened. They brought the next horse in, he was a lean horse with brown and white splotches all over him.  
  
"Meet Hell-Cat." Dally said as she climbed over the fence.  
  
Tia didn't respond, this was all familiar to her, she tied her hand on without even thinking. Luckily because her brain wasn't working right then.  
  
"You know the drill, ride hard, I will be waiting for you." Dally said and winked at her before going to get a spot to watch.  
  
"Ready?" Buck asked smiling at her.  
  
She nodded and braced herself. The horse took off as soon as the gate was opened. The crowd was screaming for her. He wasn't into the fast turns, he just bucked like mad. Tia's neck felt like rubber but she was carefull to keep her other arm high so she didn't break the rules.  
  
Unfortunately she didn't get to chose when to get dumped. The horse veered a hard left and she went flying. She landed hard on her back and had the breath knocked from her. She rolled over and glanced towards Hell-Cat. He was coming back.  
  
She climbed to her feet and ran for the nearest rail and vaulted herself over. The crowd moved away in time so that she didn't hit anyone. She was breathing heavy and was covered in dirt but the crowd screamed for her.  
  
She felt someone tap her on the back and turned around to see Lisa smiling up at her.  
  
"Hey." Tia said smiling.  
  
"Oh my god! You rocked." Lisa exclaimed.  
  
"Really? Thanks but I was no better then most of the guys here." Tia said and began dusting herself off.  
  
She pulled her hair out of the elastic that was holding her hair back and shook the dust out of it.  
  
"I want you to meet my brother KJ." Lisa said motioning to the guy beside her.  
  
Tia moved her hair out of her eyes to see a tall guy looking back at her. He had warm, light brown eyes and the same colour hair to match. He had a muscular build and offered his hand to her. He was definately a Greaser, he was dressed like one and his hair was slicked back.  
  
"Hi." he said as she shook his hand.  
  
"Hey." Tia said smiling back at him.  
  
"You did great!" a familar voice said as someone pulled her into a hug and lifted her right off the ground.  
  
She didn't know who it was at first but when she caught a glimpse of light blond hair she relaxed.  
  
"Hey Dally." Tia said "Put me down please, I am kinda sore."  
  
"What? Oh." Dally said putting her down. "Hey KJ, Lisa."  
  
"Hey Dallas, oh yeah, heres your money." KJ said handing him a $5 bill.  
  
"Tia?" Lisa asked, her voice sounded weird.  
  
"What?" Tia asked looking at Lisa.  
  
"Do you know that guy?" Lisa said pointing behind Tia. "He has been staring at you in a weird way for a while now."  
  
Dally looked to where Lisa was pointing. A guy who looked to be about 17 was leaning against the rail and his eyes were locked on Tia. Dally had never seen him before. He had on jeans and a leather jacket and had some grease in his hair. He looked pretty tough. He had jet black hair but there was something about him that kept Dally's attention.  
  
"Oh crap." Tia whispered.  
  
The guy looked from Tia to Dally who realize what was wrong. His eyes were the same sea green that Dally had looked into so many times. His eyes were identical to Tia's. 


	18. Falcons

"Tia? Are you okay?" Lisa asked.  
  
Tia was staring at the guy, her face was sickly white against her blood red shirt.  
  
"Its him isn't it?" Dally asked angrily.  
  
"Who is he?" KJ asked, he had no idea what was going on.  
  
"Evan, her brother." Dally said and quickly wrapped her arm around Tia. "We have to leave, now."  
  
"We will walk you to your car." Lisa added and followed them through the crowd with KJ.  
  
"Its okay, we won't let him near you." Dally said when he felt Tia shudder.  
  
"You don't understand, he knows I am here and he won't leave." Tia said sadly.  
  
When they reached the car, Dally realized he couldn't leave with Two-Bit and Steve who were nowhere in sight.  
  
"KJ, do you know what Steve Randal and Two-Bit Matthews look like?" Dally asked.  
  
"No, sorry man, I don't." KJ said shrugging.  
  
"Would you mind staying here with Tia while I go look for them?" Dally asked.  
  
"No problem." KJ replied.  
  
"I will be right back, don't worry." Dally said to Tia before disappearing in the crowd."  
  
"Why are you running from your brother?" KJ asked Tia who was sitting on the hood of the car with Lisa.  
  
"I am from Dallas, Texas. I ran away cause him and my old man were giving me trouble. He is here to take me back to Dallas." Tia replied "Him and my dad are the only two people in the world I am scared of and he scares me to death."  
  
"That's not very polite." A cold voice said from behind them.  
  
"Go to hell, Evan." Tia said when she turned around.  
  
"Not without you." he said and walked towards her.  
  
"Get away from me." Tia said but stayed where she was, she didn't want to run away like a little girl.  
  
"Come on, I am your brother, why are you scared of me?" Evan asked, his voice dripping with sarcasim.  
  
"Why did you come looking for me? Now that I am gone did the Old Man start hitting you?" Tia asked, glaring at him.  
  
"Not quite, we both want you to come home, thats all." Evan said and took another step closer.  
  
"Well I am not going, so just go home. How did you find me anyways?" Tia asked, clearly frustrated.  
  
"I asked around, I tracked you to this area. When I heard people talking about this girl who rides in rodeos and who is going out with one of the toughest Greasers, I knew it was you."  
  
"I am not going out with Dally, he treats me better then you ever did. I think of him more like a brother then I do of you." Tia shot back at him.  
  
"Nothing is ever good enough for you is it, you just had to screw up your life and ours by running away." Evan said, his voice rising.  
  
KJ did not like the way this was going so he stepped in between Tia and Even.  
  
"Dude, just leave okay?" KJ said, in a calm voice.  
  
"Who the hell are you?" Evan yelled.  
  
"A friend who would really like to see you go away." KJ replied.  
  
"Get out of my way." Evan said angrily.  
  
He pushed KJ out of the way and grabbed a hold of Tia's arm. He pulled her right off the car in one swift motion. Before Evan could do anything else, KJ landed a puch to his face that knocked him to the ground.  
  
Dally followed by Two-Bit and Steve emerged from the crowd. Dally, Tia and Two-Bit pilled into the front seat of the car while KJ, Lisa and Steve got into the back.  
  
"I got the whole gang here Tia. They are going to be happy to see you, especially Benj." Evan yelled as they pulled away from the rodeo.  
  
They drove in silence for a few minutes.  
  
"Tia you got alot of explaining to do." Dally said as he sped around a corner.  
  
They drove home in silence and dropped Lisa and Evan off at their house.  
  
"See you at school Monday." Tia called to Lisa "Thanks again Evan."  
  
When they got home Tia felt her muscles ache as she climbed out of the car. She had been hoping that Dally wouldn't come in but of course, he parked the car and came in. It wasn't that late so the three Curtis brothers were still up.  
  
"What are you guys doing back so early?" Darry asked when they came in.  
  
"I don't wanna talk about it." Tia said and headed towards the bathroom.  
  
"Oh no ya don't." Dally said when he saw what she was up to.  
  
He grabbed a hold of her arm, pulled her back into the room and pushed her into a chair.  
  
"Guess who I met tonight!" Dally said to Darry. "Evan, her brother."  
  
"What?" Soda asked, looking away from the television.  
  
"He showed up at the rodeo, he has been following her." Dally explained.  
  
"Did he hurt you?" Darry asked Tia who was still glaring at Dally.  
  
"No, KJ was with her and knocked him out." Dally replied when Tia didn't. "Tia he was talking about a gang, what did he mean?"  
  
"He had a gang when I was in Dallas, they called themselves the Falcons or Cons for short. I got around with them for a while but I left because I didn't like their style." Tia reluctantly explained.  
  
"How many in the gang?" Steve asked.  
  
"Last I heard 11, counting my brother." Tia replied.  
  
"He said something about a guy names Benj who will be really happy to see you, who's he?" Dally asked, sitting down across from Tia.  
  
"None of your buisness." Tia snapped, Dally had hit a nerve.  
  
"I'm your friend of course its my buisness." Dally shot back at her.  
  
"Glory, why don't you just leave me alone!" Tia yelled and tried to make a break for the door.  
  
Dally was too quick for her. He shot up out of his chair and grabbed her by the shoulders maybe a little too hard.  
  
"We are trying to help you but we can't when we have no clue what's going on." Dally yelled at her.  
  
"Dally, cool off-" Soda started.  
  
"Shut-Up!" Dally yelled at him. "Now tell me who this Benj guy is."  
  
"Fine! You honestly want to know who he is?!" Tia yelled at him "He is my brothers right hand man. Benj joined my brothers gang a while ago but my brother had to promise him somthing first! He promised him me!"  
  
The room was silent and Dally just stared at her, keeping a firm grip incase she decided to bolt.  
  
"Do you have any idea what its like to be sold like an animal or something?" Tia continured to yell at him "Do you have any idea how scary it is to know that you have no way of controlling what happens to you?!"  
  
By now Tia sounded hysterical. Dally let go of her shoulders and pulled her into a tight hug.  
  
"I'm sorry." Dally whispered.  
  
"There's just one thing." Steve said, clearly uncomfortable. "I have seen you fight, you could have taken your brother out instead of KJ, how come you didn't?"  
  
"You wanna know what happened the last time I took a swing at him?" Tia asked Steve angrily, pulling away from Dally.  
  
She rolled her shirt up just high enough to show a big scar, right above her navel.  
  
"Glory, switchblade?" Steve asked.  
  
"Yeah, him and his gang jumped me. I got three fingers broken, sprained ankle, a black eye, a split lip and this. So sorry if I am not too keen on trying it again."  
  
"It's okay, we won't let him get near you again." Dally said, putting his arm around her. 


	19. Benj's Back

Tia hung around the house the rest of the weekend. She knew she would have to go outside eventually but she wanted to put it off as long as possible. The guys didn't leave her home alone, someone was always there with her. She was gratefull for that.  
  
When monday came around she made sure she had her blades in her pockets. She wouldn't let Evan near her, not again. Dally drove her and Pony to school again. He seemed just as nervous as she was.  
  
"Don't worry Dally, I will be fine." Tia said as she got out of the car.  
  
"I will be here to pick you up when schools out!" Dally yelled to her as she walked to school.  
  
Lisa came running towards her and fell into stride with her.  
  
"I still can't believe what happened Friday." Lisa said breathlessly.  
  
"Your not the only one." Tia replied.  
  
"KJ hasn't stopped talking about you, I think he has a crush on you." Lisa said smiling.  
  
"What?" Tia asked, stopping dead.  
  
"He thinks you are gorgeous and he really admires girls who can take care of themselves." Lisa explained.  
  
"How old is he anyway?" Tia asked, still in disbelief.  
  
"Just turned 16." Lisa replied "I wouldn't be surprised if he asked you out soon."  
  
Tia thought about what Lisa said all morning. How could KJ like her? He was gorgeous and Tia knew she wasn't all that pretty. Tia stayed in the school at lunch time.  
  
When the afternoon classes were finally done, she kept glancing around as she walked out to the parking lot. She would recognize her brothers car. It was a gorgeous white T-Bird. She was glancing over her shoulder when she ran smack into someone.  
  
"Sorry, didn't see you there." Tia mumbled as she picked up the books she dropped.  
  
When she straightened up she dropped her books again in shock at whos face she was staring into. Benj looked down at her, smiling, it sent a chill up her spine. His dark brown eyes met hers and made her feel like running. His had his brown hair greased back.  
  
"Nice to see you too, Baby." Benj said, smiling even more.  
  
Tia reached back to grab her blades but he grabbed her arms before she could.  
  
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Benj whispered in a mocking tone.  
  
Tia just glared at him, he kept a firm grip on one of her arms in case if she decided to run.  
  
"Oh come on honey, you still can't be mad about a little thing like that." Benj said, tracing his finger over the scar on her stomach.  
  
"Don't touch me you pervert." Tia hissed and tried to pull away. "I have a life now, why don't you go get one?"  
  
"Excuse me." a voice said from behind Benj.  
  
"Can't you see we are a little busy." Benj said without turning around.  
  
"Excuse me." the voice said again.  
  
Benj whirled around to yell at the speaker who turned out to be Dally. He landed a hard punch to Benj's face and grabbed Tia who was picking up her books. He pulled her along towards the car at a brisk walk.  
  
Tia slid into the front seat and put her face in her hands.  
  
"God! I can't stand this!" She yelled in anger are Dally drove away.  
  
"Was that Benj?" Dally asked when they pulled up infront of Pony's school.  
  
"Unfortunately." Tia said  
  
"He is huge." Dally remarked.  
  
She knew he was right, Benj was about 6'5.  
  
"No kiddin'." Tia said.  
  
Once Pony was in the car they drove home. Nobody else was home except for Johnny so Dally stayed with them.  
  
"How long did you have to go out with him?" Dally asked as they sat around the living room.  
  
"A year and a half, it was hell." Tia said.  
  
"You guys didn't... you know?" Dally asked, clearly uncomfortable.  
  
"No, he wanted to though, he really wanted to." Tia replied "It use to scare the crap out of me the way he looked at me. He tried a couple times but I wouldn't let him."  
  
"I will talk to Darry when he gets home, we will figure something out." Dally said. "You need to face your fear, you can fight them, I know you can."  
  
"Thats easy for you to say. You Dallas Winston, the toughest Greaser around. Your not scared of anything." Tia sneered at him, she hadn't meant to be mean but she was so angry.  
  
"Yeah, there is one thing I am scared of something." Dally said.  
  
"What? Losing a fight?" Tia asked sarcasticly.  
  
"No, what they did to you scares me and it scares me even more what they might do to you." Dally replied.  
  
"I'm sorry, I hadn't meant to be so mean." Tia said, what Dally said really touched her.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
That night when Darry got home, Dally and Darry went outside to talk.  
  
"We can't just ignore whats going on. One of them actually followed her after school today." Dally said.  
  
"Your kidding me, who was it?" Darry said.  
  
"Benj, the one she went out with." Dally replied, lighting up a smoke.  
  
"What do you think we can do?" Darry asked.  
  
"I say we should fight them. You know like an all out skin fight. We are out numbered but I could always talk to KJ, he might get a couple guys to come with him." Dally said, taking a drag.  
  
"What about Tim Sheperd?" Darry asked, knowing Tim was good at fighting.  
  
"I dunno, he might if Tia asked him even though I don't want to see her near him. I kinda beat him up a while ago and I dunno if he gave up the grudge yet." Dally replied.  
  
"How will we challenged them to fight?" Darry asked.  
  
"They are following Tia, we just need to go to a public place and they will show up." Dally replied.  
  
"Tia's gonna want to fight too." Darry remarked.  
  
"I know, I don't want her too." Dally said, looking at the ground. "Even if it is a just a skin fight, she can get hurt, emotionally you know?"  
  
"Yeah but she won't take no for an answer." Darry said.  
  
"I know, I know." Dally replied.  
  
He wasn't going to let anything happen to Tia, not again. It made him feel like throwing up everytime he though about what she went through. It also surprised him that he, Dallas Winston, would ever have feelings for a girl and he didn't want to go out with her. 


	20. Allies and Plans

The explained the entire plan to Tia. She seemed slightly reluctant at first but agreed when Darry said she would be aloud in the rumble. The next day Tia was so distracted with glancing over she shoulder, she almost went into the wrong class. Luckily, Lisa was close by her side and steered her in the right direction.  
  
In the mean time, Dally was on the looked out for Benj and Evan. He would give anything just to be able to take a couple swings at them. On Friday he went to pick up Tia from school. Even though there hadn't been any sign of the Falcons, he still felt better knowing she was safe with him. Now he even met her at the door.  
  
"Hey Dally." She greeted him, pulling her jacket on as she walked out the door.  
  
"School treating you alright?" Dally asked as they walked to his car.  
  
"Its school, what do you think?" Tia joked with him.  
  
"Hey Tia... Dallas." A voice said from behind him.  
  
"Hey Tim." Tia said turning around.  
  
"How did you know it was me?" Tim asked, Dally was glaring coldly at him.  
  
"Your the only guy who has the nerve to talk to me with Dally around." Tia said smiling.  
  
"Whats up, Tim?" Tia asked, trying to be friendly, even though Dally was stillglaring.  
  
"Did you know that someone is following you, Love?" Tim asked, making Dally feel like slugging him when he said Love.  
  
"Yeah, I know." Tia said, sighing.  
  
"Who are they?" Tim asked, interested.  
  
"The Falcons, my brothers gang." Tia explained.  
  
"Are you planning on making them stop following you?" Tim asked.  
  
"Yeah, we are going to have a rumble with them." Dally said, hoping to end this converstation asap.  
  
"You need any help?" Tim asked.  
  
"You and your outfit would help?" Tia asked.  
  
"Anything for you, Love." Tim said, winking at Tia.  
  
Dally cracked his knuckles loudly, making the silly grin on Tim's face quickly fade.  
  
"We will be in touch, later." Dally said, walking away, dragging Tia.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
After school, they waited for the rest of the gang to get to the house before they started to work on a plan.  
  
"They've been following her, but they won't go near her if there are too many people around." Dally explained.  
  
"Then all we have to do is make a set-up. Make it look like she is alone but have all of us waiting near by. Then we can corner the gang." Steve suggested. "Then we can challenged them to a fight."  
  
"Sounds like a good idea." Soda said shrugging.  
  
"Hello? Yeah, I am not exactly keen on being left myself as bait." Tia said.  
  
"Don't worry, all you have to do is let them get them close enough so they can't run when they see us." Dally said, putting his arm around Tia so she could lean her head on his shoulder.  
  
"Fine, lets just get this over with." Tia said, sighing. 


	21. The Challenge

Tia was sitting, alone, on the bench by the lot. She pulled her jacket closer to her to try and block out the cold. It didn't do any good, the cold wasn't from the air, it came from her thoughts. Even though she knew the gang was just around the corner, waiting, she was still nervous.  
  
She had only been there for a few minutes when Evan's car pulled up. Five Falcons got out of the car, including Evan and Benj. They were smiling, which made Tia feel sick. The were coming closer to her, she kept hoping the greasers would get there.  
  
"Hey Baby. Miss me?" Benj asked.  
  
She just clenched her jaw and glared. They were getting too close but she sighed with relief when she saw her friends come around the corner. Darry was in the lead, looking tougher then usual. Dally was on his right, Soda on his left.  
  
Dally had his fists jammed in his pockets and the only thought in his head was getting to Tia before they did. She stood up from the bench and jogged over to them. The Falcons did not look happy too see the Greasers.  
  
"These your friends?" Evan asked.  
  
Dally reponded by putting his arm around Tia's shoulders. It helped her nerves, she was safe now.  
  
"Your not just gonna leave her alone are you?" Darry asked, his voice cold and angry.  
  
"Nope, she is my sister and I am not leaving here without her." Evan responded.  
  
"We challenge you to a rumble. A skin fight, no blades." Darry explained. "If we win you leave and never come back, if you win, Tia goes with you."  
  
"We accept your challenge." Evan said, holding his hand out for Darry to shake.  
  
The shook hands and stepped back to rejoin their gangs.  
  
"When?" Evan asked.  
  
"Tomorrow night, 11 o'clock." Darry replied.  
  
"You gonna be fighting too, baby girl?" Benj sneered at her. "Wait, I forgot, you get your new friends to do all of the dirty work for you."  
  
The Falcons turned to go and what Tia did next, she didn't know why. Maybe it was because of the anger she had been holding inside of her. Maybe it was the confidence she got from having the Greasers with her.  
  
She got her blade out and opened it as fast as she could. She threw it and itlanded with a thud in the front tire of Evan's car. The blade was two inches in Evan's car's front tire. Evan looked at it in amazement. He yanked it from his tire, big mistake, the hissing sound of air escaping from the tire could be heard.  
  
"Bye Ev, see you at the fight." Tia said.  
  
"You little..." Evan shouted a few names at her "We are gonna pound your friends into the ground. We are gonna have another outfit with us, you wait and see."  
  
The Greasers left the Falcons. As soon as they got around the corner Dally spoke up.  
  
"Good job, T-Bird." Dally said smiling down at her.  
  
"What was he talking about another outfit coming?" Darry asked as they walked home.  
  
"I am guess he is gonna get his allied gang to come down here. The Thunders. About a dozen of them." Tia replied, letting Dally wrap his arm around her, she was still a little unsteady.  
  
"How good are they at fighting?" Darry asked.  
  
"There alright, I don't remember them much, I do remember that they have a difficult time keeping their hands to themselves." Tia remarked laughing.  
  
"So we got 8 of us, KJ would fight with us and probably bring three or four friends, so we for 13." Pony said.  
  
"Tim said he would fight with us, and his outfit." Tia said.  
  
"So the teams should be even." Pony said shrugging as they entered the house.  
  
"Are they gonna stick to the rules?" Soda asked.  
  
"Probably not." Tia replied.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 


	22. Finding KJ and Tim

The next morning Tia, Dally, Johnny, Pony and Two-Bit were out early. Steve, Soda and Darry were working but they would be home around 7. They started out by tracking down KJ which wasn't too difficult. They stopped by his house first but he wasn't home. Lisa was there and said he was out with some friends, at the mall or something.  
  
They tried there next, they found KJ with three other guys, sitting outside, smoking.  
  
"Hey KJ." Tia said, sitting down beside him.  
  
He looked surprised to see her but delighted at the same time. The rest of the greasers sat down and lit up.  
  
"What can I do for ya?" KJ asked.  
  
"We need some help, in a rumble tonight." Tia said, taking a puff from her Kool.  
  
"Socs?" Kj asked.  
  
"Nope, family, you must remember my brother, the guy you punched." Tia said laughing.  
  
"How could I forget, yeah I will fight, how about you guys?" KJ asked his three friends.  
  
"Sure, why not, haven't been in a good rumble for a while." One of them said shrugging, the rest agreed.  
  
"Anyone else fighting with us?" KJ asked.  
  
"Shepards outfit if we can convince them." Tia said.  
  
"Where and when do you want us to meet you guys?" KJ asked.  
  
"The Curtis house, rumble is at 11, anytime before that, we will just be playing poker or something to pass the time." Dally said.  
  
"Sounds good." KJ said, shrugging  
  
"We gotta get going, we still have Tim to track down." Dally said standing up.  
  
"See ya tonight KJ." Tia said, smiling at KJ as they walked away.  
  
"Your hooked man." One of his friends said shoving KJ, he had been watching Tia walk away.  
  
"I am not!" KJ said laughing.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The gang stopped at a dinner to have lunch. Tia was just finished her second hamburger when Two-Bit cocked an eyebrow at her.  
  
"Where do you put it all?" Two-Bit asked laughing.  
  
"What?" Tia asked, taking a drink from her coke.  
  
"The food, you are eating like a guy but your a stick." Two-Bit said. "Do you have hollow legs or something?"  
  
"Yeah, just like your head is hollow." Tia said throwing a french fry at him.  
  
Once they finished eating they started working on tracking down Tim. Dally took them around the whole city checking in at all of Tim's favorite hang outs. They checked at Bucks, the DX, the Dingo, the mall (again).  
  
When they were leaving the mall they noticed a small crowd of about a dozen hoods in the parking lot.  
  
"Fight!" Two-Bit said happily, trotting over to the crowd.  
  
"Matthews this is no time to watch a fight, we are running out of time!" Tia yelled after him.  
  
"Found Shepard!" Two-Bit yelled back.  
  
The gang trotted up to see Tim Shepard on top of another guy, beating his head in.  
  
"Why is he beating up that guy? He looks like a hood." Tia asked the gang.  
  
"The guy was two timing on Angela, Tim's sister." A guy from the crowd said.  
  
"Want me to get him our of there?" Tia asked Dally.  
  
"Sure, if you can but he looks pretty busy." Dally said shrugging.  
  
Tia put her fingers in her mouth and whistled. That got Tim's attention, he looked up and when he caught sight of Tia, a smile spred across his face. Tia winked at him and motioned with her finger for him to follow her.  
  
"Let me take care of this, I will be fine." Tia said to Dally as she walked towards the back of the mall.  
  
She heard Tim's footsteps coming quickly behind her, she smiled to herself. When she was out of sight of the crowd, behind the mall, she leaned against the wall and waited for Tim to catch up. He was right behind her, smiling like a fool and out of breath.  
  
"Hey babe." Tim said. "Whats up?"  
  
"We are having a rumble tonight, can we count on you?" Tia asked.  
  
"Course, who are we beating up?" Tim asked.  
  
"My old gang, the Falcons and another gang, the Thunders." Tia said. "KJ and a couple other guys are fighting with us, just to make the odds better."  
  
"What are you fighting for?" Tim asked, he was leaning in closer to her and Tia was started to feel a little nervous but made sure it didn't show.  
  
"Me." she replied.  
  
"Where and when?" Tim asked.  
  
"Tonight, the lot, 11." Tia replied.  
  
"I'll meet ya there with 12 of my best guys, ya got my word." Tim replied.  
  
By now he was leaning in close enough that there was barely two inches between their faces.  
  
"Now, what will I get for helping you out in the fight?" Tim asked, his sly smile was making Tia feel slightly sick.  
  
"Now Tim, you know I am 13 and we are just friend." Tia said smiling sweetly at him.  
  
"Your age don't matter and how come we can't be more then friends?" Tim replied.  
  
Tia could feel his hand on her waist and the other on her face. She took a hand full of his shirt and pulled him towards her. She kissed him, it reminded her of the night at Bucks party. She realized that she really didn't have feelings for Tim. Sure kissing him was pretty hot but she just didn't feel anything. When his hands started to wonder she pushed him back.  
  
"I'm sorry but I don't think it is a good idea. Dally would hate it, so would the rest of the gang and they are like my family. Plus, I am not that type of girl. You understand, right?" Tia asked looking up at him.  
  
"Yeah, I understand." Tim said with a heavy sigh. "I've just never met a girl like you, your one of a kind."  
  
"I am just not the kind of girl for you. I'm sorry." Tia said.  
  
"It's alright, come on, let head back before Dally comes and drags you away." Tim said, taking a step back, giving Tia some breathing room.  
  
The walked back to where the gang was waiting, Tim kept him arm wrapped around Tia's waist and Tia didn't object. The gang was sitting on the curb, smoking and talking. Except for Dally who was standing, fists in his pockets, looking annoyed.  
  
He looked even more annoyed when he was Tim had his arm around Tia.  
  
"He's in." Tia said, smiling up at Tim.  
  
"See you tonight." Tia said and walked back over to her gang.  
  
Tim left in search of his gang.  
  
"What did you guys do?" Dally asked.  
  
"What do you mean 'what did me do', we talked, brilliance." Tia said shaking her head at them.  
  
"Believe me, I know Tim and the look he had in his eyes when he chased after you was not the look of wanting to talk. The when he came back the look was gone, so he obviously got what he wanted." Dally said crossly.  
  
"Fine, you want the truth?" Tia said, getting frustrated. "We didn't say one word to each other, instead we made wild passionate love behind the building!"  
  
Dally looked shocked for a minute. Tia was doing her best not to crack up laughing. Finally Two-Bit couldn't stand it any longer, he fell off the curb laughing.  
  
"Man... you should have seen your face!" Two-Bit said between laughs.  
  
Pony and Johnny just looked shocked and slightly uncomfortable with the subject.  
  
"Ha ha ha, very funny." Dally said, shoving Two-Bit. "How'd you know she was joking?"  
  
"Cause if they would have done it, Tim would have been walking funny. I mean you saw how well Tia rides bulls." Two-Bit said laughing.  
  
"Two-Bit Matthews!" Tia yelled "You are sick in the head."  
  
"You just realized that?" Dally growled.  
  
Poor Pony and Johnny looked like they were going to be sick.  
  
"C'mere Dal." Tia said putting putting her arms on Dally's shoulders. "He tried to make a move but I told him no and he didn't try anything else, honest. Happy?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm sorry, I just don't trust Tim around you." Dally said sighing.  
  
It was almost 6 by then so they headed to the Dingo to eat. All through the meal, Two-Bit would crack up with Tia so much as looked him. They finished at a quarter to seven and headed back to the house to meet the rest of the gang. It was going to be a long night. 


	23. Showers, Aces and Waiting

When they got back to the house, Soda and Steve were already there.  
  
"I'm going to have a shower." Tia said and headed towards the bathroom.  
  
Soda had just gotten out of the shower, he had one towel wrapped around his waist and he was using another to dry his hair. Steve was shaving.  
  
"Out, I need to have a shower." Tia said firmly.  
  
"I don't think so, wait until we are done." Soda said laughing.  
  
"Come on, it is running late, please?" Tia pleaded with them.  
  
"There is a shower curtain, we won't peak." Steve said laughing.  
  
"God you guys are horrible." Tia said. "Fine, you win."  
  
She climbed into the shower and only got undressed once she closed the shower curtain. She threw her clothes on the ground outside the shower and gave the two amused boys a cold glare.  
  
She was just rinsing out her hair when the water went ice cold. She stuck her head out of the shower to see that Steve had flushed the toilet.  
  
"Glory! Are you trying to make me freeze to death!" She exclaimed and noticed that they weren't the only ones in the bathroom. "Hey Darry, Dally, great day don't ya think?"  
  
She pulled her head back into the shower before they could react.  
  
"You didn't tell me she was in there!" Darry hissed at Steve.  
  
"You didn't ask." Steve said and combed his hair again.  
  
"I hardly think it is proper for a young girl to have a shower in a bathroom full of guys." Darry said.  
  
"I don't mind, neither does she, its all good." Steve said shrugging.  
  
When Tia shut off the water they stopped talking.  
  
"Can someone toss me a towel?" Tia asked, extending a hand from behind the curtain.  
  
"You have to come out here and get it." Steve called back, laughing.  
  
Dally smacked him on the head and tossed Tia a towel.  
  
"Thanks." Tia said, coming out of the shower wrapped in the towel.  
  
She grabbed another one to dry her hair with. She heard a snap a felt a sharp pain on her thigh. She turned around to see a grinning Steve with a damp towel in his hand, he had snapped her with it. She knew he only did it because it was only him and Soda in the bathroom. Darry or Dally would have knocked him over the head.  
  
"I would take a swing at you but your head is so thick I don't want to snap my knuckles before the rumble." Tia said, laughing, as she headed out the door.  
  
She was going to go get some clothes and change in Darry's room. Her nerves were still jumpy so she headed into the living room to see if she could get a smoke off of someone. She walked in the living room to find not only Dally, Johnny, Pony, and Darry but KJ and his friends.  
  
"Hey guys." Tia said to them before heading over to Dally.  
  
They looked quite shocked to see her like this and KJ looked at the ground, turning bright red.  
  
"I feel like I am gonna be sick, got a cancer stick?" She asked, she knew he had the type she liked.  
  
"I don't think Darry will let you fight like that." Dally said laughing.  
  
He lit a cigarette and handed it too her. She took a long drag before turning to leave.  
  
She felt a quick tug on the back of her towel. She fell backwards since she wasn't expecting it. She landed in Two-Bits lap and looked up to see him smiling at her.  
  
"Nice try, but not quite." Tia said laughing.  
  
"Oh well, you can't blame a guy for trying." Two-Bit said shrugging.  
  
"Glory." Tia said laughing. "Your ears get some red, Pony."  
  
That made everyone laugh and his ears turned even redder even though he was laughing too.  
  
"Gotta get changed, were running out of time." Tia said standing up.  
  
She finished she smoke as she headed towards Darry's room. He had giving her a drawer in his dresser so she could keep her clothes in it. She noticed something that was out of place. There was a shirt with a note on top of it.  
  
"Wear it proud... -Your buddies"  
  
She lifted it up to look at it. It was a tight royal blue t-shirt with the word GREASER written across the front in permanent marker. She laughed to herself as she pulled it on. She wore baggy blue jeans so that she would be able to move around easier. She hair was almost dry so she pulled in back into a pony tail.  
  
She came back into the living room to find the rest of the gang there.  
  
"Descent now, are we?" Two-Bit asked when he saw her.  
  
"You? Ha, thats a laugh, your never descent." Tia said jokingly.  
  
It was only 10 so they had a big group game of poker. They finally gave up at 10:30 because everyone was cheating. In one round Tia had a hand with 3 aces and Soda had 4 aces.  
  
"Let's go!" Darry yelled.  
  
Everyone had been waiting impatiently so they shot out of their seats and made for the door. They all did flips and jumps except for Tia, Kj and his group. They just watched and cheered. They walked down to the lot, their heads high, proud to be Greasers. Tia went most of the way on Dally's back. She was amazed at how he carried her like she didn't weigh anything.  
  
No one else was at the lot yet so they just hung out. Dally stayed close to Tia and she appreciated it.  
  
"So, tell me how your old gang fights?" Dally asked.  
  
"They fight to win, they don't care how many rules they have to break to do it either. They usually make a plan before hand too, it helps keep everything organized." Tia said sighing.  
  
"You got any idea what their plan for this rumble is?" Dally asked.  
  
Tia shook her head.  
  
"Dally?" Tia asked.  
  
"Yeah, kid?"  
  
"Just remember that I am different now then when I was with them. They are going to say everything under the sun to get you and the gang mad. Even though most of it will be lies." Tia said in quiet voice.  
  
Something about the way she wouldn't meet his eyes made him nervous. She knew how the Falcons fought, thats why she was scared to death... 


	24. The Rumble

Two-Bit was through his second can of beer when Tim Shepards outfit showed up. It was 10:50 and still no sign of the Falcons. Tia, Soda, Darry and Dally went over to talk to Tim. Pony stayed and talked to Curly.  
  
"Who's the chick?" Curly asked.  
  
"Don't even think about it man, she already shot your brother down." Pony said laughing.  
  
"You kiddin'?" Curly said laughing.  
  
"Nope, ask him yourself if you don't mind having your head busted in." Pony replied.  
  
Pony, Curly and Johnny went to join in the conversation with Tim.  
  
"For the last time, we don't need anyone to start the fight." Tia said, growing angry "They don't fight like you do, as soon as they get here they are gonna be all over us."  
  
Darry was about to argue but stopped when Tia let out a long line of curses and turned away. They looked to see a group coming towards them. Evan was in the lead but Benj was close by. The Greasers got ready for them to start the rumble.  
  
The smirk on Evan's face made Tia's stomach do a flip.  
  
"Dally?" Tia asked, her voice urgent. "You still wanna know what their plan is?"  
  
"Yeah." Dally replied, his eyes not leaving the approaching threat.  
  
"They are gonna get the other gang to hold you guys off while they get a hold of me. I can tell by the way they are coming at us." Tia explained quickly.  
  
He knew she was right. The Thunders were half on the right and half on the left of the Falcons.  
  
Dally cursed but didn't have anytime to do anything else. The opposing gang reached them and punches flew as soon as they were close enough. Dally tried to keep Tia insight but soon lost her in the fight.  
  
"Where's Tia?" Dally asked Pony.  
  
Dally was cranning his neck to look around as he fough off a Falcon. Johnny and Pony were fighting one of the Thunders together.  
  
"I dunno, man." Pony replied.  
  
Tia knew she was in trouble when he peered around and saw the familiar faces of her old gang. She didn't have enough time even to call out for help because they jumped her all at once. She was being wrestled to the ground and was losing. They had her on her back and her arm were firmly held. She kicked out and connected with something.  
  
"For God's sake, hold her legs down before she cracks someones head." Evan yelled.  
  
She finally realised what they were doing but it was too late. She saw Evan hovering above her and her mouth went dry when she saw her switch blade in his hand. Her limbs felt like they were being crushed and she couldn't budge.  
  
Evan took the blade and made a cut on her shirt, from just above her belt buckle to 4" above her belly button. She bit back a scream when the steel pierced her skin. She had a tattoo of the gangs symbol, a falcon, on her stomache. Once he cut a neat X over it, he gave he a kiss on the forehead.  
  
"I only did it because I care." He said, smirking.  
  
He signaled for the guys to let her go and join in the fight. He got up and turned to join the action but Tia was too quick. He shot up and jumped on his back. The sudden weight brought him to the ground.  
  
She landed a good punch to his jaw when he turned around to see who was on him. His smirking face quickly clouded over with anger as he swung at her. She tried to jump back but she collided with someone and his punch landed on her left eye. She blinked to try and clear her vision but Evan landed a punch to her stomache making her keel over.  
  
While she was cursing under her breath, someone landed with a thud on the ground beside her.  
  
"Hey Pony." Tia croaked when he turned to look at her.  
  
"Hey Tia! Dally is lookin' for ya, he is freakin' out. You might wanna go find him." Pony said and jumped on the Falcon that was pounding Johnny.  
  
Tia got to her feet and peered around the crowed. It was too dark, she couldn't see Evan but she did catch a glimpse of bright blond hair. She knew it was Dally and pushed her way in that direction.  
  
It was near impossible to move through the crowd. She landed a few punches and recieve a few. By the time she got there, a Falcon had him around the neck while another was landing some punches on him. Tia didn't hesitate to jump on the other guys back. The guy was big and yanked Tia over his head easily. When the punches stopped, Dally had the other guy knocked out before he knew what hit him.  
  
"Hey Dallas." Tia said, looking up from her back.  
  
"Hey kid. I was lookin' for ya." Dally said helping Tia to her feet. "What happened to your stomach?"  
  
"Not important." Tia said quickly, she had caught sight of Evan to the left "Gotta run, family duty calling."  
  
She pushed her way through the crowd towards Evan. He saw he coming and waited for her to get there, a sly smile on his face.  
  
"You just don't give up do you?" Evan asked, cocking an eyebrow.  
  
"I believe you have my knife." Tia said coldly.  
  
"You are still scared of me aren't you? You won't fight me without your knife." Evan said with a small laugh.  
  
Evan took a swing at her, but she jumped to the side just in time. He stumbled forward so Tia landed a punch to the side of his head before he could get up. He fell forward and caught himself with his hands. She threw all of her weight into a kick to his side. He keeled over onto his back with a groan. She landed a few more kicks to make sure he wouldn't get up.  
  
Once she was satisfide, she sat on his stomach, grabbed a handful of his shirt and made him look at her.  
  
"Look at me Evan!" She yelled, her voice passionate with anger "I do not belong to you, I do not belong to the Falcons and I do not belong in Dallas. I belong here, people want me here. I don't have to be scared to go home here. I am happy!"  
  
She threw a punch at him in anger.  
  
"They will get sick of you and you will come crawling back to Dallas. They are only keeping you around to see how long it will take to get in your-" Evan yelled at her but was cut short by another blow to the face.  
  
"Shut your dirty mouth! Glory, you have a one track mind! They are not like your gang! They like me as a Greaser, why can't you understand that?!" Tia yelled.  
  
She had been so angry she didn't even notice the Thunders and Falcons were running until Dally and Soda dragged her off of Evan. She did grab her blade out of his pocket, a smirk on her face. He quickly got to his feet and ran after his gang. He shot a quick glance over his shoulder as he ran.   
  
Tia stood there...surrounded by Greasers...giving him the finger. 


	25. The Aftermath

2 weeks after the fight  
  
"Glory the water is cold." Tia said, sitting down on the towel next to KJ.  
  
The gang along with KJ and Lisa drove out to the Arkansas river to swim and hangout. KJ had asked Tia out the day after the rumble. She said yes and they have been going steady ever since.  
  
"C'mere." KJ said smiling.  
  
He wrapped a towel around her shoulders and put his arm around her to keep her warm. They laughed as Two-Bit tried to pull Pony under water. With Soda's help, Pony managed to dunk Two-Bit under instead.  
  
That even got Steve to laugh. He wasn't too happy because he broke his arm in the rumble. Since it is in a cast, he can't go in the water.  
  
"Hey Dally!" Tia called.  
  
Dally was standing on the dock, talking to Soda who was in the water. When he turned to see what Tia wanted, Soda grabbed his arm and pulled him into the water. When Dally's head came to the surface he let a long line a threats to Soda and swam after him.  
  
"Tia! Gimme a hug!" Dally said, laughing as he climbed onto the dock.  
  
"Nah, I just got dry." Tia said laughing.  
  
Tia found out later that Dally had giving Benj quite a good working over during the rumble. Broke a couple of Benj's ribs probably. The worst injury Dally got was a couple popped knuckles.  
  
She got up and walked over to the cooler. She had been planning on getting a beers for her and KJ but Dally had other plans. He had her over his shoulder before she could open the cooler.  
  
"Dally, your giving me a head rush, put me down." Tia said laughing.  
  
"Put you down?" Dally asked laughing "Okay."  
  
He tossed her from his shoulder into the water. Her head came above water and she was laughing.  
  
"Gimme a hand out, Grease." Tia said.  
  
Dally offered her a hand but she pulled him in instead. She swam with a guys for a few more minutes before getting out of the water and getting the beers she had wanted.  
  
"Thanks." KJ said when she handed him a beer.  
  
"If they get any closer, they are gonna get stuck." Tia said, motioning to Pony and Lisa.  
  
They were sitting on a towel together, talking quietly. They had been flirting back and forth for the last two weeks. Tia knew it was only a matter of time before Pony asked her out.  
  
"Don't worry, he is a good kid." Tia reasured KJ.  
  
"I know, its just weird seeing your baby sister with another guy. What are you doing calling him 'kid', he is older then you?" KJ asked playfully.  
  
"Well it sounds better then saying 'he is a good Pony'." Tia replied smirking.  
  
"Fine, you win. Does your stomach hurt?" KJ asked, moitoning with his beer bottle to her injury.  
  
She wore a two piece bathing suit even though she had been uncomfortable at first. Dally had told her she should be proud of her scars so she showed them with pride. She looked at her tattoo with a red X over it. The skin was still raw but it didn't hurt too much. She didn't tell the guys, but she is planning on getting a tattoo over it, like 'REBEL' or something.  
  
"Its fine." Tia said, smiling at him.  
  
"What about your leg?" KJ asked.  
  
He could see where her dad had broken the bottle on her leg, it was pretty scarred up.  
  
"Stop worrying, I am gonna be fine now that I am safe and happy." Tia said and gave him a small kiss making him smile even more.  
  
Once it got dark they got a bonfire going. Two-Bit was having a great time, he was pretty drunk, skipping around the fire, singing obscene songs. Tia noticed Pony and Lisa making-out over by a tree. When KJ noticed too, Tia put her hand on his face and made him look at her.  
  
"She is a big girl and you can't stop her." Tia said smiling.  
  
"Okay, okay." KJ said looking away from them, sighing.  
  
That night was one that Tia would remember for ever. She was happier then she had ever been. By the end of the night she was skipping around the fire with Two-Bit but was too busy laughing to join in his singing.  
  
As Tia laughed she looked at the faces around her. She was one lucky girl. She had KJ who adored her, Dally who was like an older brother to her. Lisa was a great friend, who she could always count on. Darry, Johnny and Pony all seemed like brothers to her. Steve, Soda and Two-Bit were more like her best friends. Over all she had a new family and she wouldn't trade them for the world.  
  
TA-DA!!!!  
  
THE END!!! 


	26. Thanks To Everyone

Weird, now my name is SheElf2. Stupid fanfiction.net changed it on me. ANYWAYZ lol What did you think of the story? Hope you guys liked it. I would like to thank the following people for reviewing and encouraging me to write more:  
  
Lalila  
  
CrazeLilDreamer   
  
Siren Bloom  
  
Jade Cade  
  
Toby Keith Fanatic  
  
Spikes-luvr-4ever  
  
Angie   
  
GirlsDontCri  
  
Opie  
  
Bailyy   
  
RoxyBabi511  
  
Doggydude  
  
Rieko  
  
Ruka-Tenou-Girl  
  
sarah  
  
Lily  
  
slick  
  
Nati  
  
Special Thanks to the following people:  
  
MissLKid: You Rock! lol You were the first people to review my story and you have always encouraged me to write more. I love the rpg we are doing, its so much fun!  
  
Deadly Wisteria: Thanks for reviewing. Its nice to know that people read my stories and check for updates because they like it.  
  
DallysGirl4Life: I'm glad you like my story, thanks for reviewing so many times, it helps alot.  
  
RebelDream2222: I'm glad you liked it and I hope the suspense between chapters didn't cause too much damage lol  
  
Announcement lol!!!!  
  
There will be a second story coming out about Tia and the gang. It will be more along the lines of the book, the entire Greaser vs. Socs thing. I will be starting on that ASAP. 


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